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Raj Deepak Shetty Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 14, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth18 October 1978

Age45 Years

BirthplaceMangalore, Karnataka, India

ProfessionActor

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseSonia Rodrigues

Raj Deepak Shetty Biography

Raj Deepak Shetty is an Indian actor from Mangalore who has built a career across Kannada, Telugu and Tamil screen work, often portraying antagonistic or 강

Early life and background

Raj Deepak Shetty was born on 18 October 1978 in Mangalore, Karnataka. He grew up in the city where he completed his schooling at Milagres High School, finishing in 1994, and later graduated from St. Aloysius College, Mangaluru in 1997. He is identified with the Bunt community and follows Hinduism.

During his school and college years Shetty took part in plays and other extracurricular activities, an early indication of his interest in performance. Outside of acting, he has worked in a number of corporate roles: as an associate with the Aditya Birla Group in Bangalore (2003–2005), as a technical consultant at Dell (2005–2007), and later with Emirates Airlines in Dubai as a customer service agent from 2010 until 2014. After that period abroad he returned to India to focus on acting full time.

Career

Shetty began his screen career on Kannada television. His television debut came in the serial Kadambari, which aired on Udaya TV in 2005. He appeared in several other Kannada serials over the years, including Preethi Illada Mele (2005), Bande Baratava Kala (2006) and Love Lavike (2015). His work on television earned him recognition, including a Best Villain Award at the Star Suvarna Pariwar Awards in 2017 for his role in the serial Niharika.

Transitioning into films, Shetty made his Kannada feature debut in Srikanta (2017) where he played Satyamurthy. He has since appeared in a variety of South Indian films, often cast in negative or supporting roles. Notable Kannada film credits include Bharjari (2017), Vaasu Naan Pakka Commercial (2018), Panchatantra (for which he received a Best Supporting Actor award in 2019), and Toby (2023).

Shetty expanded into Telugu and Tamil cinema as well. In Telugu, he was seen in iSmart Shankar (2019) as Devendra, and later in Narappa (2021), Virata Parvam (2022), and Hanu Man (2024), in which he played the village chief Gajapathi. He also appeared in the Telugu web series Gods of Dharmapuri (G.O.D) (2019) as Prathap Reddy, released on Zee5. In Tamil cinema he has credits such as Battery (2022) where he played Ammu Abhirami, and Dr. 56 (2022) in the role of Aswath.

Public profile

Shetty is commonly credited as Raj Deepak Shetty or Deepak Shetty, and is sometimes referred to by the initials RDS. His physical presence—reported height around 6'2" (188 cm) with a lean build—has complemented the character roles he frequently portrays. He keeps fit through regular gym workouts and pursues leisure interests that include travel, playing guitar and horse riding. He is an animal lover and keeps a pet cat.

Personal life

Shetty is married to Sonia Rodrigues, a model and founder of Mangalore Fashion Week. The couple completed a court marriage on 4 May 2020 and marked further wedding ceremonies on 18 October 2020. His parents are Prem and Sarala Shetty, and he has a sister, Renukasuman Bhandary.

Style and public image

Often cast in villainous parts, Shetty has cited on-screen antagonists he admires from Indian cinema and has named figures such as Gabbar Singh and Mogambo among those who influenced him. He has a visible public persona and maintains social media profiles. He has been photographed at events and in public with alcoholic drinks and cigarettes.

Latest updates

Recent film work listed for Shetty includes the 2023 Kannada film Toby and the 2024 Telugu release Hanu Man, in which he appears as Gajapathi. His cross-industry work across Kannada, Telugu and Tamil productions continues to be a defining feature of his career trajectory.
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Recent Work

Toby

Kannada film appearance (2023)

2023
Hanu Man

Telugu film in which he played village Chief Gajapathi (2024)

2024
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Career Highlights

  1. Television debut in Kadambari (2005) on Udaya TV
  2. Best Villain Award at Star Suvarna Pariwar Awards (2017) for Niharika
  3. Best Supporting Actor Award (2019) for the Kannada film Panchatantra
  4. Roles across Kannada, Telugu and Tamil films and the Telugu web series Gods of Dharmapuri (G.O.D)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Raj Deepak Shetty born?

18 October 1978

What is Raj Deepak Shetty known for?

Actor

What is Raj Deepak Shetty’s marital status?

Married

Who is Raj Deepak Shetty married to?

Sonia Rodrigues