Meet Karthikeya Dev: The Young Actor You Saw In Salaar, Empuraan, & Good Bad Ugly
From a small village in Andhra Pradesh to shining on the big screen alongside industry giants, Karthikeya Dev is quickly becoming a name to watch in the Telugu and Malayalam film industry.
You might recognise Karthikeya as the younger version of Vardharaja Mannar in Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire (2023), where his powerful performance added depth to the character portrayed by Prithviraj Sukumaran.
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He also played the childhood version of Zayeed Masood in the Malayalam film Empuraan. Not stopping there, Karthikeya shared screen space with superstar Ajith in Good Bad Ugly, which released on April 10, 2025.
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Karthikeya Dev recently took to Instagram to share his overwhelming gratitude and admiration after working with superstar Ajith Kumar in the film Good Bad Ugly. In a touching note, he wrote:
“AK! With his Vihaan! Sirrr himself is a huge library will always be grateful for this one, itll be one of my greatest achievement working with you sir, The person you are we all just love you sir, from the first day first moment to the release your dedication your passion is something which the younger generation should take and the love the respect you’ve shown towards me and everyone we will be always grateful sir, and i have a lot to tell but that is some emotion which im not able to tell just LOVE YOU SIR 🙏🏻 will always follow you..”
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Karthikeya made his acting debut with the film Music School in 2023, a multilingual musical made in Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil. Before that, he was seen in the hit Telugu web series Parampara Season 1 on Disney+ Hotstar in 2021.
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In addition to films and series, he’s featured in TV commercials for brands like Bengaluru Bulls and ETV channel, gaining popularity for his charm and confidence in front of the camera.
Beyond acting, Karthikeya has made a name for himself in the modeling world too. In 2020, he won the ‘Mr. Hunk’ title at a modeling competition in Hyderabad.
He’s also known for his energetic dance moves and entertaining lip-sync videos, which he regularly shares on his social media platforms.
