Rajeev Kanakala

Rajeev Kanakala, also known as Rajiv Kanakala, is an Indian actor in the Telugu film industry who has also built a long record on the small screen. Audiences know him best for Student No 1 (2001), Lakshmi (2006) and Rakshasudu (2019), and his work spans cinema, television and production. Before films, he made his name in TV dramas and brief screen projects. On many of them he also worked behind the camera, producing and directing alongside performing. In cinema, Student No 1 in 2001 gave him one of his most remembered roles, and he followed it with Lakshmi in 2006 and Cara Majaka in 2010. Later, Rakshasudu (2019) and Ikshu (2022) added to his list of well-known titles. His film work stayed steady after that, with Veera Simha Reddy, Virupaksha and Samajavaragamana in 2023, Aa Okkati Adakku and Mathu Vadalara 2 in 2024, and Little Hearts, Jatadhara and Andhra King Taluka in 2025. Kanakala is known for moving easily between film and television, often in supporting parts, and for being as comfortable guiding a project as acting in one. In 2013 he co-founded a company that creates programmes for television, carrying forward the craft he first learned on the small screen.