Shetty was born on 6 June 1983 into a Tuluva family in Udupi, Karnataka. He did his initial schooling from Udupi and graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics & Communication Engineering from NMAM Institute of Technology, Nitte, in 2005. He was employed at Symphony in Bangalore for around two years. However he resigned and followed his calling for a career in cinema.

Shetty made his acting debut in films in 2010 with Nam Areal Ondina. The romance-comedy Simple Agi Ondh Love Story (2013) proved to be a breakthrough for him before he directed and starred in the crime-drama Ulidavaru Kandanthe in 2014. The film garnered widespread critical acclaim and won him the Karnataka State Film Award for Director's First Time Best Film and the Filmfare Award South for Best Director. The film holds cult status among Kannada audiences. He followed it by starring in Vaastu Prakaara (2015) and the critical success Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu (2016). Shetty achieved further success with the 2016 comedy Kirik Party that he wrote and produced, a critical and commercial success.

Along with directors Pawan Kumar, Anup Bhandari and others, Shetty has been credited by the media and in the Kannada cinema circles as having begun a "new wave of filmmaking". Through his career, he has established himself in the Kannada film industry.

In July 2017, Shetty got engaged to Rashmika Mandanna in a private ceremony in Virajpet. The couple had been dating since 2016 after having first met each other on the sets of 'Kirik Party' as suggested by his cousin 'Sohan M Rai' .

As actor

As director

• Ulidavaru Kandanthe (2014)

As producer

• Kirik Party (2016)
• Huliraaya (2017)
• Humble Politician Nograj (2018)
• Bheema Sena Nala Maharaja (2018)
• 777 Charlie (2018)