# List of Tulu people

This is a list of notable people who belong to an ethnic Tuluva community and who natively speak the Tulu language.

## Journalists

* Kayyar Kinhanna Rai – Indian independence activist and writer
* V. T. Rajshekar – founder and editor of the Dalit Voice
* K. K. Shetty – freedom fighter (was the editor of Navayuga for a short period)

## Freedom fighters

* Kedambadi Ramaiha Gowda
* Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay
* Ammembala Balappa
* Abbakka Chowta
* Karnad Sadashiva Rao

## Judiciary and lawyers

* K. S. Hegde – former speaker of Lok Sabha; former judge of the Supreme Court of India
* N. Santosh Hegde – Karnataka Lokayuktha; former judge of the Supreme Court of India
* Rohini Salian – public prosecutor
* Kalmanje Jagannatha Shetty (1926–2015), former judge, Supreme Court of India and former chief justice, Allahabad High Court
* Kedambadi Jagannath Shetty – former judge of Karnataka High Court

## Literature, philosophy, and religion

* P. Gururaja Bhat – historian and writer of Tulunadu
* Bannanje Govindacharya – Vedic scholar
* Ratnavarma Heggade
* Veerendra Heggade – philanthropist
* M.K.Seetharam Kulal – Tulu-Kannada dramatist, poet; Karnataka State Tulu Sahithya Academy Award (2014)
* Madhvacharya – proponent of Dvaita (Dwaita) philosophy
* Muddana – poet
* Venkataraja Puninchathaya – scholar
* Kayyar Kinhanna Rai – poet and activist
* Bola Chittaranjan Das Shetty – writer
* Vishwesha Teertharu (Pejavara Shreegalavaru)

## Health care

* B. M. Hegde – educationist and surgeon
* Dinker Belle Rai – Indian American vascular surgeon, inventor, athlete and philosopher
* Devi Shetty – philanthropist and surgeon
* Shantharam Shetty – orthopaedic surgeon
* K. N. Udupa – Padma Shri recipient

## Politics

* V. S. Acharya – former home minister, Karnataka state and former member of Karnataka legislative assembly and council
* A. Shanker Alva – former member of Parliament, Mangalore
* K. Nagappa Alva – former member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha (1970–1976) and health minister, Karnataka State (1962–1967)
* Raghupati Bhat – former member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly (M.L.A.), elected from Udupi constituency
* D. V. Sadananda Gowda – former Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, former Minister of Law and Justice, Former Minister of Railways, former Chief Minister of Karnataka
* K. Jayaprakash Hegde – former member of Parliament
* Shobha Karandlaje – member of Parliament, Udupi Lok sabha constituency, Union Minister of State (MoS) for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Food Processing Industries
* V. Dhananjay Kumar – former Union Minister
* Nalin Kumar Kateel – member of Parliament of Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency and former President of BJP-Karnataka
* Manorama Madhwaraj – former member of Parliament, Udupi; former MLA Udupi
* Lalaji Mendon – MLA, Kaup Vidhansabha
* Veerappa Moily – former Chief Minister of Karnataka, member of the 16th Lok Sabha
* Janardhana Poojary – former Union Minister of State for Finance
* I. Rama Rai – former member of Parliament, Kasaragod
* Ramanath Rai – Minister for Forest, Environment and Ecology
* Kumble Sundara Rao – former MLA of Surathkal constituency
* Halady Srinivas Shetty – MLA 2013 assembly for Kundapura, Karnataka
* I. M. Jayarama Shetty – former member of Parliament, Udupi
* K. K. Shetty – former member of Parliament, Mangalore
* Suresh Shetty – MLA, Andheri (East), Maharashtra
* B. Nagaraja Shetty – former Minister and MLA of Bantwal constituency, Karnataka

## Artists

* K. K. Hebbar – painter
* Prakash Shetty – cartoonist
* Sudarshan Shetty (born 1961) – artist
* R. Verman – art director

## Film directors and producers

* Ranjith Bajpe – film director and screenwriter, known for his work in Tulu cinema
* Anup Bhandari – film director, music director, lyricist and playback singer
* Ramchandra P. N. – filmmaker
* Manmohan Shetty – founder of Adlabs Films
* Raj B. Shetty
* Rakshit Shetty
* Rohit Shetty – film director and producer
* B. Vittalacharya – film director of Kannada, Telugu-language cinema

## Actors

* Pruthvi Ambaar
* Anushree
* Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
* Neha Shetty
* Anup Bhandari
* Nirup Bhandari
* Aravind Bolar
* Harini (Kannada actress)
* Pooja Hegde
* Kalpana (Kannada actress)
* Arjun Kapikad
* Leelavathi (actress)
* Naveen D. Padil
* Shubha Poonja
* Vinaya Prasad
* Radhika
* Vinay Rai
* Prakash Raj
* Anushka Shetty
* Avantika Shetty
* Athiya Shetty
* Dayanand Shetty
* Dheekshith Shetty
* Krithi Shetty
* M. B. Shetty – 1970s Bollywood actor
* Rakshit Shetty – Kannada actor, director
* Rishab Shetty
* Vinod Kumar Alva
* Rohit Shetty
* Shamita Shetty
* Shilpa Shetty
* Srinidhi Shetty – Miss Supranational 2016
* Suniel Shetty
* Yagna Shetty
* Suman
* Bhojaraj Vamanjoor

## Music

* Sandeep Chowta – music director
* Kadri Gopalnath – saxophonist
* Gurukiran – music director
* Ganesh Hegde – singer, performer, video director and Bollywood choreographer
* Manikanth Kadri – film score and soundtrack composer and singer
* V. Manohar – music director, lyricist, film director and actor
* Vittal Ramamurthy – violinist
* Shweta Shetty – pop singer
* Vidyabhushana – singer

## Science and technology

* Vittal Rai – scientist
* Rajini Rao – physiologist
* Udupi Ramachandra Rao: scientist
* Kalidas Shetty – food scientist
* H. V. K. Udupa – electrochemical scientist

## Sports

* Ashwini Akkunji – national-level athlete
* Ashish Ballal – former captain of the Indian Field Hockey team and Arjuna awardee
* Budhi Kunderan – cricketer
* Mamatha Poojary – kabadi player
* Nikhil Poojary – footballer
* Satheesha Rai – weightlifter, Olympian and Arjuna awardee
* Tanush Kotian – cricketer
* Shodhan Rai – international bodybuilder and Ekalavya Award winner
* Vandana Rao – national sprinter, 1990s
* Chirag Shetty – badminton player
* Pooja Shri Shetty – karateka
* Vijith Shetty – footballer
* Vikrant Shetty – United Arab Emirates cricketer
* Gundibail Sunderam – cricketer
* Siddhanth Thingalaya – national sprinter

## Bankers

* U. R. Bhat – director of Karnataka Bank
* A. B. Shetty – founder of Vijaya Bank and politician
* Mulki Sunder Ram Shetty – chairman of Vijaya Bank
* V. P. Shetty – chairman of JM Financial Asset Reconstruction Co. Pvt. Ltd., JM Financial Asset Management Co. Pvt. Ltd. and JM Financial Products Ltd.

## Business persons

* Muthappa Rai – businessman
* A. B. Shetty (1883–1960) – founder of Vijaya Bank
* Ajit Shetty – Belgian businessman; former chairman of the board of directors of Janssen Pharmaceutica
* B. R. Shetty – CMD New Medical Centre, billionaire; Padma Shri recipient
* Devi Shetty – founder of Narayana Health
* Manmohan Shetty – founder of Adlabs Imagica
* Mulki Sunder Ram Shetty – chairman of Vijaya Bank
* R. N. Shetty – CMD RNS Infrastructure and hereditary administrator of Murudeshwara Shiva Temple
* Raj Shetty – founder of Ramee Hotels: a billionaire hotelier from Dubai

## War heroes

* Dinesh Chandra Bhandary – Vir Chakra recipient

## Gallery

* Devi Shetty
* Aishwarya Rai
* Veerendra Heggade
* K.S. Hegde
* Nitte Santhosh Hegde
* Krishnadevaraya
* Kayyar Kinhanna Rai
* Sneha Ullal
* Veerappa Moily
* Prakash Shetty
* KK Hebbar
* Manmohan Shetty
* Anushka Shetty
* Suniel Shetty
* Shilpa Shetty
* Prakash Raj
* Dayanand Shetty
* Srinidhi Shetty
* Pakhi Hegde
* Kadri Gopalnath
* Ganesh Hegde
* Ravi Shastri
* A. B. Shetty
* B. R. Shetty
* Shamita Shetty