Karthikeya Dev is an Indian actor, model, and dancer who gained fame for his portrayal of the young Vardharaja Mannar in the 2023 blockbuster film Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire. Since his film debut in 2023, he has featured in some of the biggest productions in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam films: Salaar with Prabhas, L2: Empuraan with Mohanlal and Prithviraj Sukumaran, Coolie with Rajinikanth and Good Bad Ugly with Ajith Kumar. In Good Bad Ugly he was not a background actor, but rather he played the central role of the son of the character Ajith, Vihaan, whose role is the central one on which the whole emotional core of the film is built up.
He is not much older than in his teens, works on at least four languages, has taken up leading roles in his own productions and has developed a growing following on social media.
This is an entire biography of Karthikeya Dev, his origin, his works and what makes his career so remarkable as a performer of his age.
Karthikeya Dev Biography Profile
| Detail | Information |
| Full Name | Karthikeya Dev |
| Date of Birth | June 5, 2008 (not officially confirmed) |
| Age (2026) | 18 |
| Birthplace | Rajupalem village, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh |
| Hometown | Hyderabad, Telangana |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Mother | Kavitha Podilapu |
| Father | Not publicly disclosed |
| Sibling | One younger sister (name not public) |
| Profession | Actor, Model, Dancer |
| Film Debut | Music School (2023) |
| Known For | Salaar (2023), Good Bad Ugly (2025), L2: Empuraan (2025) |
| Languages | Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi |
| @karthikeya.dev — 72.1K followers |
Karthikeya Dev Age
The date of birth in Kathikayya Dev has not been officially said by any official record. The date of his birth is recorded by one of the sources as June 5, 2008 and this would make him about 17 years of age and will reach the age of 18 years in 2026. In 2023, when filming Salaar, he was allegedly studying in the 10th standard at a school in Hyderabad – a fact that would well fit a date of birth around 2008. His Gemini zodiac sign suits rather well on that multi talented character.
Family Members
Karthikeya was born in the village of Rajupalem, in the district of Prakasam, Andhra Pradesh and lived his life in Hyderabad, Telangana where the family is based. His family is a Telugu Hindu family. He is credited with this expressive on-screen look and more so, his ability to express emotion in something subtle – a quality that has the tendency of catching the eye of a casting director who is looking to get something more than a one dimensional performance.
His mother, Kavitha Podilapu actively participates in the management of his professional activity – she is his primary manager and point of contact in his work in the movie industry. Her involvement has been cited in numerous sources as one of the main factors as to why he has been strategically placed in large scale productions and not just simply taking whatever roles that were offered.
His father is not publicly known, nor can be found in any respectable source. He has a younger sister, but the name and details of this sister too have been kept under wraps. No other family member has been associated with entertainment industry except his mother who has been in the entertainment industry.
Karthikeya Dev Girlfriend
Being a child actor, Karthikeya Dev does not have a girlfriend or love affair. He is now focused on his acting career, studies and his time is taken care of by his parents.
Career
Early Career in Modelling
Karthikeya Dev first gained recognition in society through modelling before his career as a movie producer started. He also participated in a modelling contest in 2020, hosted at City Centre Mall in Hyderabad and won the title of Mr. Hunk an early indicator of the type of confidence and screen presence which he would later bring to film sets.
He also appeared in television commercials, such as advertisements of the Bengaluru Bulls kabaddi team, and the ETV channel. These onscreen performances provided him with experience in front of the camera and developed a level of familiarity with the mechanics of performance in front of the camera, long before he was sent in front of a film director.
Debut in Acting Career
Katharikeya Dev appeared in 2021, as an actor in the Telugu web series Parampara Season 1, which streamed on Disney+ Hotstar. It was his first appearance on a big screen, but it was his performance on screen that would lay the foundation on which his career would be headed.
His screen debut was in Music School in 2023 – a multilingual film shot in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil. The film provided him with his initiatory experience of working on a full-length theatrical production in multiple versions in various languages, and working in a multi-format production environment which would become the norm of his work in the future.
Karthikeya Dev Movies
Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire (2023) turned out to be the turning point in Karthikeya’s career. The movie under the guidance of Prashanth Neel and starring Prabhas in the lead role was one of the most anticipated-to be Telugu movies of the very year. This young Vardharaja Vardha was the childhood friend of Draupadi whose adult appearance was depicted by Prithviraj Sukumaran. it demanded emotionalism and bodilyness on the part of a character whose boyhood is the ethical principles of the conflict in the film. His act was characterized by a certain measure of maturity well beyond his age and which landed him on the stage of the big South Indian productions.
| Year | Film / Show | Role | Language |
| 2021 | Parampara Season 1 (web series) | Supporting role | Telugu |
| 2023 | Music School | Film debut | Hindi/Telugu/Tamil |
| 2023 | Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire | Young Vardharaja (Vardha) | Telugu |
| 2024 | Matka | Role (child artist) | Telugu |
| 2025 | Naari: The Women | Young Boy | Telugu/Tamil |
| 2025 | Tuk Tuk | Lead role | Telugu/Tamil |
| 2025 | L2: Empuraan | Young Zayed Masood | Malayalam |
| 2025 | Coolie | Young Simon (cameo) | Multi-language |
| 2025 | Good Bad Ugly | Vihaan (Ajith’s son) | Tamil |
| 2025 | Mirai: Super Yodha | Supporting role | Telugu |
He also featured in the 2024 Telugu film Matka, as part of his growing filmography but remained featured in the Telugu productions between the larger pan-Indian productions.
Working Style and Strengths: Kathikeya Dev Popularity
Directors and casting directors who have worked with Karthikeya are always alluding to the following attributes: an instinctive emotional honesty on screen, professionalism during shoots, and the ability to absorb directions quickly and perform complicated action with a sense of confidence.
He is a trained dancer as well, which grants him both a physical expressiveness that is not limited by dialogue-centered scenes. His previous experience as a model means that he feels no awkwardness when in front of a camera. He works in a full diversity of South Indian industry contexts – big budget commercial film, independent production, OTT web series, brand endorsement – without necessarily being confined to one format or scale of production.
Karthikeya Dev Achievements
- In Hyderabad (2020) was the winner of the title of Mr. Hunk in a City Centre Mall modelling competition.
- Film release in Music School (2023) – a multilingual release in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil.
- Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire (2023), a Telugu film, is one of the most-watched movies of the year.
- Zayed Masood, the first Malayalam movie to debut, is played by Zayed Masood.
- Seen in Coolie (2025) – pan-India production of Rajinikanth.
- Appeared as Vihaan (son of Ajith Kumar) in Good Bad Ugly (2025) – the third highest grossing Tamil movie of 2025.
- Featured in Mirai: Super Yodha (2025) – the fifth highest-grossing Telugu movie of 2025.
- In his multi-lingual career in the Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi language, had his debut in the film industry in the year 1954.
- Appeared as a lead actor in Tuk Tuk (2025) the first film in which he plays a key role instead of a supporting role as a child actor.
Karthikeya Dev Net Worth
Karthikeya’s net worth has not been officially disclosed. His income on the basis of the film contract, the activity on the brand, and the appearance in the commercial is obviously growing, based on his active participation in several large-scale productions in 2025 alone. His net worth is estimated to be between 50 lakh and 1 crore, which cannot be verified, and must be viewed as estimates.
Social Media
Karthikeya Dev is active on social media where is shares updates about his upcoming projects and behind the scene moments. He is mainly active on his Instagram (@karthikeya.dev) where he has 72.4K followers. He has created an inventive habit of posting lip-sync videos and dance contents on social media, which has helped him amass a personal following, not related to his film output.
Lesser Known Facts About Karthikeya Dev
- Karthikeya Dev has played the younger role of Prithviraj Sukumaran in two major films – Salaar (2023) and L2: Empuraan (2025).
- He also featured in two big pan-Indian releases on the same day: L2: Empuraan and Coolie both released on March 27, 2025.
- His role in Good Bad Ugly (son of actor Naslen, Vihaan) was to have been played by actor Naslen who refused the role.
- He had allegedly studied the 10th standard when the film Salaar was in production and he was making his on screen composure in the movie all the more impressive.
- His professional career such as his casting and participation in the industry and his progression as an actor is in the hands of his mother Kavitha Podilapu.
- He also shares dance and lip-sync on Instagram Instagram- a personal creative output keeping him in touch with an audience beyond his film output.
Conclusion
One of the most interesting young actors ever to work in South Indian cinema at the time, and specifically because the usual ceiling to the number of child actors a few memorable performances, and then a long wait till the adult parts come appears not to apply to him. He has been the lead actor in four languages, the star in blockbusters co-starring four of the largest stars in India alone in one year and has been in his first lead and made a personal social media presence all before his 18th birthday.
The fact that the Salaar breaking breakthrough in 2023 is only the tip of the iceberg of a remarkable amount of work in 2025, suggests that casting directors in industries have already been able to find something consistent and versatile in his way of working. The succeeding chapter which may be a continuation of the roles of children/teenagers, a formal transition to the adult roles or a more lead appearance, shall be fascinating to see how this unfolds in the next 2-3 years.
FAQs
A1. Karthikeya Dev is an Indian child actor, model and dancer who has mostly featured in Telugu films with credits in Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi films as well.
A2. Karthikeya Dev’s exact date of birth has not been officially confirmed. It is purported that he was born on June 5, 2008, which would make him around 18 years old in 2026.
A3. Karthikeya Dev’s film credits include Music School (2023), Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire (2023), Matka (2024), Naari: The Women (2025), Tuk Tuk (2025), L2: Empuraan (2025), Coolie (2025), Good Bad Ugly (2025), and Mirai: Super Yodha (2025). The first time he appeared in a web series was Parampara Season 1 (2021) on Disney Plus Hotstar.
A4. It has its headquarters in Hyderabad, and is based on the original village of Rajupalem, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh.
A5. His most memorable roles include: playing key roles in four of the largest South Indian productions in one year (L2: Empuraan, Coolie, Good Bad Ugly, Mirai in 2025); playing the younger version of Prithviraj Sukumaran in two franchise movies; assuming his first lead role in Tuk Tuk (2025); and building a multilingual career in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi within two years of debut.
