Filmmaker Raj Nidimoru, best known as one half of the celebrated Raj & DK directing duo, has married actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu in a unique Linga Bhairavi Vivaha ceremony at the Isha Foundation in Coimbatore on December 1.
Here is a closer look at the life and career of the prominent director:
🌟 Early Life and Path to Filmmaking
| Detail | Information |
| Birth | August 4, 1975, in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. |
| Education | Graduated from SVU College of Engineering. |
| Initial Career | Emigrated to the United States to pursue a career in software engineering. |
| Creative Partner | Met Krishna Dasarakothapalli (DK) at SVU College; they formed the Raj & DK duo and eventually returned to India to pursue filmmaking. |
🎬 Filmmaking Career and Breakthroughs
Raj & DK are renowned for their distinct style, which blends satire, action, and unpredictable characters, often across different genres.
- Early Projects: They began with the short film Shaadi.com (2002) and the English feature Flavors (2003) about Indian immigrants.
- First Hindi Feature: 99 (2009), a comedy crime thriller set in Mumbai and Delhi.
- Cult Hits: Shor in the City (2011) and Go Goa Gone (2013)—India’s first zombie film—cemented their reputation.
- Production Success: They created and produced the horror-comedy hit Stree (2018), which formed the foundation of the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe.
- Work with Samantha: Samantha first collaborated with the duo as the antagonist in the critically acclaimed The Family Man Season 2 (2021) and later in the Indian installment of the Russo Brothers’ series, Citadel: Honey Bunny (2024).
📺 Web Series Dominance
Raj & DK are considered pioneers of the long-format streaming content in India:
- The Family Man (2019): Their web series debut was a massive global success, making the world “sit up and take notice.”
- Recent Hits: Farzi (2023) and Guns & Gulaabs (2023).
- Upcoming Projects: They are currently working on the Netflix web series Rakt Brahmand: The Bloody Kingdom and the Amazon Prime Video series Gulkanda Tales.
💍 Previous Marriage
Raj Nidimoru was previously married to Sshyamali De, a psychology graduate who built a career behind the camera, working as an assistant director on films like Rang De Basanti and Omkara.
- Previous Marriage: Raj and Sshyamali De were married since 2015.
- Divorce: They finalized their divorce in 2022. The separation briefly drew public attention, particularly when Sshyamali shared a cryptic message on social media recently amidst the rumors of Raj and Samantha’s wedding.