In the course of a career spanning over two decades, Santosh Thundiyil has helmed the camera for a number of blockbusters in Bollywood and Malayalam cinema. Known for his technical finesse, the FTII alumnus started out by assisting renowned cinematographers like Venu, Binod Pradhan and Goving Nihlani before making his independent debut with the Shah Rukh Khan starrer Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). Subsequently, Santosh established himself as one of the most sought-after cameramen in Bollywood through his work in movies like Pinjar (2003), Krrish (2006) and more recently, Rustom (2016).

Besides his work in Bollywood, Santosh has also made his mark in Malayalam cinema, with the mystery horror film Devadoothan (2000), the drama film Palunku (2006) and Aakasha Gopuram (2008) being some of his notable movie credits in Mollywood. His work in the action comedy Rowdy Rathore (2012) earned Santosh a Filmfare Award nomination that year. Other significant film credits include Pranaya Varnangal (1998), the comedy Tere Bin Laden (2010), the biographical sports drama M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016) and the thriller drama Neerali (2018). His 2019 releases include Pengalila and Setters.