K. K. Senthil Kumar is an Indian cinematographer who works in Telugu cinema. He is known for his frequent collaborations with S.S. Rajamouli. A graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, Senthil Kumar began his career as a cinematographer with the TV sitcom Amrutham and made his film debut with Aithe (2003), earning critical recognition.
Over the years, he has worked on several notable films, including Sye (2004), Chatrapathi (2005), Yamadonga (2007), Arundhati (2009), Magadheera (2009), Eega (2012), ' (2015), ' (2017), and RRR (2022). He earned various accolades, including four Filmfare Awards, two Nandi Awards and four SIIMA awards, among others.
K. K. Senthil Kumar was born and brought up in Hyderabad, into a Tamil-speaking family. He is the eldest of three siblings. He graduated with a degree in cinematography from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune.
Kumar married Ruhee Naaz on 25 June 2009, who was a Yoga instructor and headed the Hyderabad division of Bharat Thakur's Yoga classes. The couple had two sons: Ryaan Kartikeyan and Dhruva Kartikeyan. Ruhee died on 15 February 2024 at a private hospital in Hyderabad.
After his graduation from FTII, he joined cinematographer Sarath as an assistant cinematographer. He worked under Sarath from Premaku Velayara (1999) to Jabili (2001). He started his work as a Independent Cinematographer with the TV Series Amrutham in 2000. When Chandra Sekhar Yeleti was making his directorial debut with Aithe (2003), he took Senthil on as the cinematographer, marking his official feature-film debut.