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Rakesh Adiga Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 1, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth6 June 1986

Age37 Years (as of 2023)

BirthplaceBangalore, Karnataka, India

ProfessionActor

NationalityIndian

Marital statusUnmarried

FamilyBelongs to the Adiga family (owns hotels and restaurants)

Rakesh Adiga Biography

Rakesh Adiga is an Indian actor, writer, director and rapper from Bangalore who works primarily in the Kannada film industry. He rose to attention with his

Early life and background

Rakesh Adiga was born on 6 June 1986 in Bangalore, Karnataka. Raised in a family known in the region for a chain of hotels and restaurants, he attended Janaseva Vidya Kendra residential school in Bangalore. He has one brother and remains unmarried.

Career

Adiga entered the Kannada film industry as an actor and made his on-screen debut in 2009 with the movie Jhoshh, a release that brought him early recognition and a Best Debut Actor award from Asianet Suvarna in the same year. Over time he expanded his creative roles beyond acting, working as a screenwriter, story writer, playback singer and director.

In the years following his debut he appeared in a mix of leading and supporting roles. His filmography includes titles such as Raja Loves Radhe, Yaare Koogadali, Nanda Gokula, Mandahasa and Karnataka Ayodhyapuram. He has taken on antagonist parts as well, having portrayed villainous roles in more than a dozen Kannada films.

Adiga’s creative interests have also embraced music. During his college days he performed with a band that later contributed two songs to the 2019 film Harikathe. He is credited with founding a Kannada hip-hop group called Urban Lads and is described as the first Kannada rapper; the band was launched by the actor Suraj Sarja.

In 2011 Adiga appeared in Alemaari as an antagonist and the same year played a romantic lead in Manasology. One of his projects, the romantic film Mandahasa, experienced production delays before release. He has also faced setbacks on the commercial side, for example the 2012 release Parie did not perform well at the box office.

Adiga moved into directing with Night Out, his debut behind the camera, released in 2019. That film later received a certificate of achievement for Best Feature Film from the Indo-French International Film Festival in 2021.

Public profile

Adiga is known for crossing between several creative disciplines within Kannada cinema — as an actor, rapper, writer and director. He has released music videos as well; in 2021 he put out a music video titled Free Spirit. In August 2022 he participated as a contestant on the reality series Bigg Boss OTT Kannada, increasing his visibility with television audiences.

Personal habits and image

Adiga follows a non-vegetarian diet and has been photographed with alcoholic beverages; media reports have described an incident during a film shoot in 2013 when he chose not to bite into a piece of non-vegetarian food prepared for a close-up, instead posing with it near his mouth.

Latest updates

In recent years Adiga has continued to balance acting, music and filmmaking. His directorial debut’s festival recognition and his 2021 music release show continued creative output, and his participation in Bigg Boss OTT Kannada in 2022 brought him renewed public attention.
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Recent Work

Night Out

Directorial debut; later received a certificate of achievement for Best Feature Film from the Indo-French International Film Festival (2021).

2019
Free Spirit

Music video released in 2021.

2021
Bigg Boss OTT Kannada

Contestant on the reality series in August 2022.

2022
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Career Highlights

  1. Debuted in the film Jhoshh (2009) and won Best Debut Actor award from Asianet Suvarna (2009)
  2. Founded Kannada hip-hop band Urban Lads and recognized as an early Kannada rapper
  3. Directed Night Out, which received a certificate of achievement at the Indo-French International Film Festival (2021)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Rakesh Adiga born?

6 June 1986

What is Rakesh Adiga known for?

Actor

What is Rakesh Adiga’s marital status?

Unmarried