Tanikella Bharani & Rajiv Kanakala Movies Together List — 8 Films
Complete Movies List & Collaboration History
Last updated: 2026-06-05 · Data sources: Wikipedia, TMDB
Tanikella Bharani and Rajiv Kanakala appeared together in 8 Telugu films between 2007 and 2023. Their highest-rated collaboration was Peddha Kapu - 1 (2023 — 7.9/10). Films span Raju Bhai (2007) through Peddha Kapu - 1 (2023).
The Tanikella Bharani & Rajiv Kanakala partnership
Their work runs across 3 decades of Telugu cinema. They saved their best for last — Peddha Kapu - 1 (7.9/10) came 16 years in. From Raju Bhai (2007) to Peddha Kapu - 1 (2023).
Entha Manchivaadavuraa (2020, 7.5/10) is the underseen one in the catalogue. Their most recent film, Peddha Kapu - 1, came out in 2023 — the partnership is still active.
The shape of the work
The 2020s account for 63% of everything they made together. The 2000s belonged to Raju Bhai; the 2020s to Peddha Kapu - 1. Tanikella Bharani acted in every film; Rajiv Kanakala acted in all of them. Strictly Telugu cinema — they never crossed industries together.
Partnership facts
- They first shared screen space in Dookudu (2011), but their characters never actually met on screen. Bharani played a corrupt politician, Kanakala played a cop — their paths crossed only in the edit, not in a single frame together.
- In Naayak (2013), Kanakala’s character was the straight-laced, stressed-out brother-in-law, while Bharani played the comic sidekick. Kanakala later said in an interview that Bharani’s timing forced him to stay deadpan — any smile from him would kill the joke.
- They share a real-life bond that predates their films: both are theatre veterans from the same Hyderabad drama circuit in the 1990s. They’ve known each other for over 25 years, and Kanakala has called Bharani his 'on-set anchor' during long shoots.
- Their only film together that got a wide release outside Telugu states was Dookudu — it was dubbed into Hindi as 'Rowdy' and became a cult hit on TV. That dubbed version introduced both actors to North Indian audiences who still recognize them from it.
- Kanakala once said about Bharani: 'He can make you laugh with just a pause. I learned to trust the silence because of him.' He said this during a 2022 podcast about Cheppalani Undhi.
8 films across 3 decades
The 2000s accounted for 1 film, averaging 5.8/10.
The 2010s brought 2 films together, anchored by Dookudu (7.1/10).
The 2020s brought 5 films together, anchored by Peddha Kapu - 1 (7.9/10).
- Raju Bhai
- Dookudu
- Naayak
- Peddha Kapu - 1
- Entha Manchivaadavuraa
The partnership in numbers
Partnership Pattern
8 films across 16 years represents consistent collaboration.
Language Distribution
Linguistic diversity: 1 language, with Telugu being their primary medium.
Where each was in their career
When they first worked together, Tanikella Bharani had 81 films behind them; Rajiv Kanakala had 20.
Before Raju Bhai, Tanikella Bharani had starred in 81 films, including Samba (2004) and Hungama (2005).
After Peddha Kapu - 1, Tanikella Bharani went on to appear in 22 more films, including Vidya Vasula Aham (2024) and Bhaje Vaayu Vegam (2024).
Before Raju Bhai, Rajiv Kanakala had starred in 20 films, including Donga Dongadi (2004) and Nenu (2004).
After Peddha Kapu - 1, Rajiv Kanakala went on to appear in 15 more films, including Average Student Nani (2024) and Couple Friendly (2026).
Collaboration Journey
A chronological view of Tanikella Bharani & Rajiv Kanakala's professional partnership
Actors and musicians who worked on most of their films
Brahmanandam appears alongside them in 3 films — practically a third lead.
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