1998-2008 Shanthanu made his acting debut as a child artist in his father
Bhagyaraj's Tamil film
Vettiya Madichu Kattu (1998), and then worked as assistant director to his father in his sister
Saranya Bhagyaraj's debut project
Parijatham (2006). Shanthanu appeared in his first lead role in the Tamil film
Sakkarakatti (2008), appearing alongside actresses
Ishita Sharma and
Vedhika. His performance received mixed reviews with Behindwoods.com stating: "Shanthanu has to play a thinly sketched hero, but he puts energy and charm into everything he does" and that "he is more than promising- he's star material, and he'll survive this wreck". Another critic at
Sify.com stated that he "has that star quality to him which is so rare to find these days, but is wasted in a role in which he just romances his heroines and dances". Despite having a popular soundtrack composed by
A. R. Rahman, the film received largely negative reviews and became a commercial failure. Despite the negative reception to the film, Shanthanu was recognised with the
Best Male Debut Actor award at the
Filmfare Awards and the
Vijay Awards.
2009-2017 After
Sakkarakatti, Shanthanu appeared in the Malayalam film
Angel John (2009), starring alongside
Mohanlal and
Nithya Menen, as a suicidal youth who is rescued by an angel. Despite the high-profile cast, the film and Shanthanu's performance received mixed reviews and it did not perform well commercially. The failure of his initial films meant that his next projects had significantly smaller budgets and lower profile releases. His next release was his father's bilingual directorial venture
Siddu +2 (2010), with the failure of the Tamil version causing the Telugu version
Love in Hyderabad, to be shelved. Though the romantic comedy
Kandaen (2011) received positive reviews and took a good opening, his subsequent films including the action drama
Aayiram Vilakku (2011) and
Thangar Bachan's
Ammavin Kaipesi (2012). The courtroom drama
Vaaimai (2016) received average reviews. In an interview in 2016, Shanthanu revealed that challenging career choices had plagued his film career and he would subsequently not take advice from his father regarding film offers. He mentioned his regret at missing out on potential projects he had been offered including
Boys (2003),
Kaadhal (2004)
Subramaniapuram (2008) and
Kalavani (2010). Shanthanu was then cast by
Parthiban to play the lead role in
Koditta Idangalai Nirappuga (2017), with the director suggesting that he was keen to portray tribute to his mentor K. Bhagyaraj, by casting his son in a film. The actor called the film his "re-launch in Tamil cinema" and underwent a makeover to portray the lead role of a
non-resident Indian who falls in love with a married woman played by
Parvathy Nair. Shanthanu won positive reviews for his performance, with a critic from The
New Indian Express stating: "Shanthnu is a revelation here" and "with controlled, mature take on his role, Shanthnu displays subtle nuances of expression as Kevin travels from uncertainty and confusion, to guilt and regret". In 2017, he also acted in Adhiroopan's drama
Mupparimanam, where he portrayed a medical student.
2020-present In 2020, he played a main role in the family drama
Vaanam Kottattum, which was co-written by
Mani Ratnam. He also starred in
Master (2021), starring
Vijay and
Vijay Sethupathi. After
Chimbu Deven's
Kasada Thapara, he starred in an adult comedy,
Murungakkai Chips. Shanthanu acted later in the drama films
Raavana Kottam (2023),
Blue Star (2024) and
Balti (2025). == Personal life ==