K. K. Senthil Kumar is an Indian cinematographer who works in Telugu cinema. He is known for his frequent collaborations with S.S. Rajamouli. He graduated with a degree in cinematography from the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. He made his debut as a cinematographer with the sitcom TV series Amrutham. He made his film debut with Aithe (2003) which brought him recognition.
He went on to work in notable films like Sye (2004), Chatrapathi (2005), Yamadonga (2007), Arundhati (2009), Magadheera (2009), Eega (2012), Baahubali: The Beginning (2015), Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017), and RRR (2022). He has received two Nandi Awards by the Andhra Pradesh government and three Filmfare Awards South among other accolades.
Early and personal life
K. K. Senthil Kumar was born and brought up in Hyderabad, into a Tamil-speaking family. He is the eldest of three siblings. He graduated with a degree in cinematography from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. He married Ruhee on 25 June 2009, who is a Yoga instructor and heads the Hyderabad division of Bharat Thakur’s Yoga classes.
Career
After his graduation from FTII, he joined cinematographer Sarath as an assistant cinematographer. He worked under Sarath from Premaku Velayara (1999) to Jabili (2001). He worked for 13 episodes in Amrutham. When Chandra Sekhar Yeleti was making his directorial debut with Aithe (2003), he took Senthil on as the cinematographer, marking his official feature-film debut.
Filmography
Awards
South Indian International Movie Awards
SIIMA Award for Best Cinematographer (Telugu)- Eega (2012) at 1st SIIMA
SIIMA Award for Best Cinematographer (Telugu) - Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) at 5th SIIMA SIIMA Award for Best Cinematographer (Telugu) - Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017) at 7th SIIMA Filmfare Awards South Best Cinematographer- Magadheera (2010) at 57th Filmfare Awards South Best Cinematographer- Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) at 63rd Filmfare Awards South Best Cinematographer- Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017) at 65th Filmfare Awards South
CineMAA Awards
CineMAA Award for Best Cinematographer – Magadheera (2010) CineMAA Award for Best Cinematographer – Yamadonga (2008) Nandi Awards Best Cinematographer - Eega (2012) at Nandi Awards of 2012 Best Cinematographer - Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) at Nandi Awards of 2015 Santosham Film Awards Best Cinematographer - Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017) at 16th Santosham Film Awards
Philadelphia Film Critics Circle
Best Cinematography – RRR (2022)