Tanikella Bharani

Biography

Tanikella Bharani (born 14 July 1954) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, poet, playwright, and director who primarily works in Telugu cinema, with appearances in Tamil and Hindi films. He began his career as a stage actor and playwright in the mid-1970s before entering the film industry.

Bharani made his film debut as a dialogue writer for Kanchu Kavacham (1984). He wrote dialogues for films including Ladies Tailor (1985), Sri Kanaka Mahalakshmi Recording Dance Troupe (1987), and Ram Gopal Varma's gangster drama Shiva (1989), in which he also played Nanaji. He later appeared in villainous, comedic, and supporting roles. He won the Nandi Award for Best Villain for Samudram (1999) and the Nandi Award for Best Character Actor for Nuvvu Nenu (2001).

Bharani has acted in more than 750 films and has written books, plays, and devotional songs dedicated to Lord Shiva. He made his directorial debut with the Telugu drama Mithunam (2012), starring S. P. Balasubrahmanyam and Lakshmi, and received the CineMAA Special Jury Award for Best Direction. He played the priest Swamyji in S. S. Rajamouli's Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017). His Tamil film roles include appearances in Ghilli (2004) and Vaathi (2023).

His 2024 releases include the political thriller Prathinidhi 2, the action film Bhaje Vaayu Vegam, Harish Shankar's Mr. Bachchan, the thriller Kalinga, and Nindha. His 2025 credits include Krish Jagarlamudi's period film Hari Hara Veera Mallu, Mohan Krishna Indraganti's comedy Sarangapani Jathakam, Kishkindhapuri, and Mani Ratnam's Tamil action-drama Thug Life. He has received three Nandi Awards and the Sahitya Puraskar for his literary work.