Dheekshith Shetty

Dheekshith Shetty (/ˈdiːkʃɪθ ˈʃɛti/) (born 22 December 1995) is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Kannada and Telugu films. He rose to prominence with his critically acclaimed performance in the Kannada romantic drama, Dia (2020) which earned him a SIIMA Award nomination and established him as one of the most promising talents in the industry.

Dheekshith Shetty
Shetty in 2022
Born	(1995-12-22) 22 December 1995 (age 29)[1] Kundapura, Karnataka, India[2]
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2016−present

Starting his career in Kannada television with shows like Naagini and Preethi Endarenu, Shetty transitioned to films and later expanded into Telugu cinema with notable roles in Mugguru Monagallu (2021) and the blockbuster Dasara (2023) , for which he won the SIIMA Award for Best Supporting Actor – Telugu.^[3] Shetty won the SIIMA Award for Best Supporting Actor – Telugu for his performance in Dasara (2023).^[4]

Career

Television beginnings (2016–2019)

Dheekshith Shetty began his acting career in Kannada television with the soap operas Preethi Endarenu and Saakshi in 2016. His breakthrough came with the supernatural drama Naagini (2016–2020) on Zee Kannada, where he portrayed Arjun/Partha opposite Deepika Das.^[5] The show's popularity made him a household name in Karnataka. In 2017, he participated in the reality show Dance Karnataka Dance and emerged as the winner, further boosting his visibility.^[6]

Film debut and rise in Kannada cinema (2020–2022)

Shetty made his feature film debut with K. S. Ashoka's romantic drama Dia (2020), playing Rohit.^[7] The film was a critical and commercial success, and his nuanced performance earned him a SIIMA nomination for Best Supporting Actor – Kannada. This role established him as one of the most promising talents in Sandalwood. He also appeared in short films like Oh Fish and Navabelaku during this period.

Entry into Telugu cinema and breakthrough (2021–2023)

In 2021, Shetty debuted in Telugu cinema with Mugguru Monagallu and later starred in The Rose Villa. His major breakthrough came in 2023 with Dasara, directed by Srikanth Odela, where he played Siddham "Suri" alongside Nani, Keerthy Suresh and Shine Tom Chacko.^[8][9] The film was a box-office hit, and Shetty won the SIIMA Award for Best Supporting Actor – Telugu, also earning a Filmfare nomination.

He also appeared in the anthology series Meet Cute produced by Nani.^[10][11]

Recent work and experimentation (2024–present)

In 2024, Shetty starred in KTM, portraying four different avatars to depict a character's journey from teenage years to adulthood, showcasing his versatility.^[12] He also appeared in Blink, an experimental Kannada film inspired by the Oedipus myth, which received glowing reviews for its bold narrative and Shetty's performance.^[13][14]

Shetty's 2025 projects include The Girlfriend in Telugu co-starring Rashmika Mandanna. Upon release, the film garnered mixed reviews with Sruthi Ganapathy Raman of The Hollywood Reporter India writing, "The Girlfriend, led skilfully by Mandanna and Shetty, might be about toxic relationships and revolve around a conventional heteronormative couple with an alpha-beta equation, but it always makes sure to keep its characters accountable."^[15] His next Kannada film, Bank of Bhagyalakshmi and web series Touch Me Not is set for release.

Filmography

Film

Key

†	Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released

List of Dheekshith Shetty film credits

Year	Title	Role	Language	Notes	Ref.
2020	Oh Fish		Kannada	Short film	[16]
	Dia	Rohit			[17][18]
2021	Mugguru Monagallu	Chandrathreya Kishore Varma	Telugu		[19]
	The Rose Villa	Ravi			[20]
2022	Navabelaku		Kannada	Short film
	Smile
2023	Dasara	Siddham Suryam "Suri"	Telugu		[21]
2024	KTM	Karthik	Kannada		[22]
	Blink	Apoorva			[23]
2025	The Girlfriend	Vikram / Vicky	Telugu		[24]
	Bank of Bhagyalakshmi	Kanaka	Kannada		[25]
TBA	Sheegrameva Kalyana Praptirasthu †	Sagar	Kannada	Filming	[26]
TBA	Strawberry †	TBA		Post-production	[27]
TBA	KJQ †	TBA	Telugu	Filming	[28]
TBA	Oppees †	TBA	Malayalam	Filming	[29]

Television

List of Dheekshith Shetty television credits

Year	Title	Role	Network	Language	Notes	Ref.
2016	Preethi Endarenu		Star Suvarna	Kannada
	Saakshi		Udaya TV
2016–2020	Naagini	Arjun/Partha	Zee Kannada			[30]
2017	Dance Karnataka Dance	Contestant			Winner	[31]
2021	Kamali				Cameo	[32]
2022	Meet Cute	Siddharth	SonyLIV	Telugu	Segment: "In L(aw)ove"	[33]
2025	Touch Me Not	Rishi	JioHotstar

Awards and nominations

List of awards and nominations received by Dheekshith Shetty

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result	Ref.
2020	9th South Indian International Movie Awards	Best Supporting Actor – Kannada	Dia	Nominated	[18]
2024	69th Filmfare Awards South	Best Supporting Actor – Telugu	Dasara	Nominated	[34]
	12th South Indian International Movie Awards	Best Supporting Actor – Telugu		Won	[4]