Dalit Actors (K-Z)

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Kishore Sahu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kishore Sahu
Born 22 November 1915
Died 22 August 1980 

Bangkok, Thailand
Occupation Actor
Film director
Years active 1937–1982

Kishore Sahu (22 November 1915 – 22 August 1980) was an Indian actor, film director, screenwriter, and producer. He appeared in 22 films between 1937 and 1980, and he directed 20 films between 1942 and 1974.

His directorial venture Kuwara Baap was one of the winners for the BFJA - Best Indian Films Award for best film for 1943. His film Raja has been called "a milestone of art and skill in motion pictures". His film Veer Kunal was a huge box office success. He directed Dilip Kumar with Kamini Kaushal in Nadiya Ke Paar, which became the sixth highest grossing Indian film of 1948. His 1954 film Mayurpankh was entered into the 1954 Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Prize of the Festival. Sawan Aya Re did well commercially, with Baburao Patel of Filmindia remarking in the 9 May 1949 edition that Sahu's estimate had risen due to the "original treatment" he gave to an "otherwise ordinary" story. He was also known for the Meena Kumari starrer, Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960).

He had four children, Vimal Sahu, Naina Sahu, Mamta Sahu, and Rohit Sahu. His wife Preeti was a Kumaoni Brahmin.

Before marrying Preeti, he was briefly married to his Punar Milan (1940) co-star Snehprabha Pradhan before the relationship ended in 1943 after a court battle.

Early life

Sahu was born in present-day Rajnandgaon district in India. His father was the Prime Minister under the Raja of Rajnandgaon. He joined the University of Nagpur and took part in the "freedom struggle", completing his graduation in 1937. An interest in writing short stories brought him in contact with cinema, where he initially started as an actor. 

K. B. Tilak
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

K. B. Tilak
Born
Korlipara Balagangadhara Tilak
14 January 1926

Died 23 September 2010 (aged 84)

Occupation Director, producer
Years active 1950–1983

Korlipara Balagangadhara Tilak (14 January 1926 – 23 September 2010) was an Indian independence activist, film director and producer.

Early life

He was born at Denduluru in West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh on 14 January 1926. His parents are Korlipara Venkatadri and Subbamma. His paternal grandfather was Gangadharayya. His birth name was Balagangadhara Rao. His father was an Indian Independence activist. He liked Bal Gangadhar Tilak and extended his name to Balagangadhara Tilak subsequently. His maternal grandfather is Akkineni Sriramulu, father of veteran film personality L. V. Prasad and Akkineni Sanjeevi.

After primary education, he attended Municipal High School at Eluru. He was influenced by the Indian independence movement shaking the country and joined their activities regularly. He participated in Quit India movement and was jailed in September 1942. He was shifted to Rajahmundry Central Jail and came in contact with Mote Narayana Rao and Karmanchi Rammoorty. He was released after 6 months of imprisonment. He worked as a Newspaper boy in the Congress Radio movement of Usha Mehta. He actively participated in the Praja Natya Mandali, run by Mudigonda Jagganna Sastry.

He shifted to Bombay and joined his uncle L. V. Prasad. He developed contacts with the film personalities who used to visit the house. He looked after the egg business of Prasad. He used to participate in the Communist Party activities. He worked as a sales boy for a cosmetics distribution company run by Kanuri Ramananda Chowdary. He marketed the famous hand-made laces from Narsapur to Bombay.

His last movie direction was Dharma Vaddi in 1982. He died on 23 September 2010 at Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad.
K. S. R. Das
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
KSR Das
Born 5 January 1936

Died 8 June 2012 (aged 76)

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Occupation Director, film editor, screenwriter
Years active 1966–2000

Konda Subbarama Das (5 January 1936 – 8 June 2012) or Doss was an Indian film director and film editor. He had directed many blockbuster films in many South Indian language films, primarily Telugu and Kannada films.

Career

He was born on 5 January 1936. He worked for about 40 films in different positions. As a director Loguttu Perumallakeruka (1966) was his debut film, with Sobhan Babu and Rajasri playing the lead roles. He has made about 30 films with Telugu superstar Krishna, starting with Takkari Donga Chakkani Chukka (1969), produced by Y.V. Rao. His Mosagallaku Mosagadu (1971) became a trendsetter in Indian films and was dubbed into many languages. He worked with N. T. Rama Rao (Yugandhar), Vishnuvardhan (14 Films), Chiranjeevi (Billaa Ranga, Puli Bebbuli and Roshagadu), Rajinikanth (Iddaru Asaadhyule, Annadammula Savaal, Sahodaral Savaal), Sobhan Babu (Loguttu Perumallakeruka, Girija Kalyanam, Chesina Baasalu).

Death

Das died on 8 June 2012 at 76 while he was under treatment in Apollo hospital at Chennai

Awards

Puttanna Kanagal Award from Karnataka State Government
Kavi Raz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kavi Raz
Born 1 January 1953 
Occupation Actor, film director

Kavi Raz (born 1 January 1953) is an Indian-born British actor, writer, director and producer. Born in Punjab, Raz left India at a young age for the United Kingdom, where he grew up.

Biography

Raz attended university in the San Francisco Bay area. He was a founder and artistic director of the Wandering Players' Theatre Company. The company staged several World and US premieres of plays from India. Western audiences were exposed to the works of Rabindranath Tagore for the first time, in addition to plays like Sakharam Binder and Shakuntala. This was the first professional South Asian theatre company in the USA.

In the mid-1970s, Raz arrived in Hollywood: a career as an actor was unheard of at a time when roles for South Asian actors in Hollywood television shows and films were limited. According to Raz, “People, especially friends and relatives scoffed at the idea of my becoming an actor. They thought it was a passing fancy and would soon be over. But no, I had a dream and take what it may I journeyed on to make my dream a reality.”

He went on to become the first ever South Asian actor to be signed on as a regular in a major TV series, St Elsewhere. He was a cast member for the first two seasons of the medical drama, and after being let go continued to appear on a recurring basis. Raz has also appeared in over 200 plays, TV shows and films, including guest appearances on The A-Team, M*A*S*H and Star Trek: The Next Generation. He co-starred with Joe Odagiri and Chloe Snyder in Atsushi Funahashi's Big River in 2005.

In addition to acting, Raz has had a career as a filmmaker, which began with The Gold Bracelet, a movie about a Sikh man faced with the realities of post-9/11. In 1978, Raz founded the production company K. R. Films Hollywood. Its debut, Lehren - a television weekly variety series for the Asian audience - was shown throughout the United States and Canada. In 1988, K. R. Studios was built in Granada Hills. Housing several buildings including the main studio, it has state-of-the-art equipment for film and television productions, as well as a multi-track recording facility for post production and recording needs. The studio is now home to many award-winning producers, writers and directors engaged in the production of commercials, TV programs, music videos and films.

Filmography
Films
Suraag (1982) - Hindi Film
Warning Sign (1985)
Terror Squad (1988)
Pet Sematary (1989)
Big River (2005)

Television
St Elsewhere (1982–87)
M*A*S*H (1983)
The A-Team (1985)
House MD (2010)
Karan Raj Kanwar
Karan Raj Kanwar is an Indian film Producer, who has worked predominantly in Bollywood. Karan Raj's previous film to hit the theatres was Lucky Kabootar in the year 2013. for Dayz (2011), Everybody Gets Screwed Here (2015) and Lucky Kabootar (2014). 


IMDb's STARmeter has spoken: These are the Top 10 Breakout Stars of 2021.

Filmography
Jump to: Producer | Actor | Writer | Director | Editor | Additional Crew
Hide Producer (3 credits)
2020Kosha (producer)

2014Lucky Kabootar (producer - as Karan Kanwar)

2011Dayz (Short) (producer - as Karan Kanwar)

Hide Actor (2 credits)
2011Revenge Aka Saw XVI (Short)

2001Farz
Kabir
Hide Writer (1 credit)
2011Dayz (Short) (story - as Karan Kanwar) / (writer - as Karan Kanwar)

Hide Director (1 credit)
2011Dayz (Short) (as Karan Kanwar)

Hide Editor (1 credit)
2011Dayz (Short) (as Karan Kanwar)

Hide Additional Crew (1 credit)
2015Everybody Gets Screwed Here (Presented by)

Kumar Deepak Das

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kumar Deepak Das

Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
In office
See the source image
June 15, 2007 – June 14, 2013
Preceded by Indramoni Bora
Succeeded by Santiuse Kujur
Constituency Assam
Personal details
Born 9 August 1958 
Political party Asom Gana Parishad
Spouse(s) Gitima Lekharu Das
Children Two daughters
Residence Metuakuchi, Barpeta Town, Assam
Education B.Sc., LL.B.
Profession Artist, Journalist/Writer, Lawyer/Advocate, Musician, Political and Social Worker, Sportsperson and Sports Organiser

Kumar Deepak Das, a politician from Asom Gana Parishad party, is a Member of the Parliament of India representing Assam in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament. He served as Minister of state in cultural affairs in his last term as MLA in the year 1985. He is a writer, singer and actor.

He was born in 1958 in a small town Bijni in Chirang district of Assam to Ramani Mohan Das and Ganga Priya Das. He completed his school from Bijni Bandhab High School. He did his +2 from Arya College, Guwahati. He earned his bachelor in science degree from Madhav Choudhury College in Barpeta (also his constituency) with honors. He completed his LLB from Gauhati University. He has authored many books like Mahanagaror Kanthaswar, Mahuror Pare-Pare (based on Dimasa culture), Jibanir Madhuri, Bibhinna Dinar Chinta, Bhikshowar Choka Toruwal.

His latest writing includes Fearless Democrat: Hem Barua and An Ardent Patriot: Dinesh Goswami. His recent book was released by the Vice- President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari. His book Fearless Democrat: Hem Barua is a collection of speeches by Hem Barua during his times. In his forward note, Mr. Das says that this book will help the youths of India to guide themselves towards the way to serve the nation. Rather than a politician he admits himself to a social worker who loves to work for people.

He is married to Mrs. Geetima Lekharu Das, a subject teacher in Assamese literature with two daughters. He also served as chairman of Assam State Film Finance, Guwahati in the year 1996. During his tenure as Member of Parliament of the Upper House of Parliament, he holds the record of the highest standing number of questions of 16 hours and 53 minutes in a record among the other Members. He is titled as "Bir Purush" by his well-wishers, for his shown courage in his tenure.

Krishnam Raju
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Krishnam Raju

Raju in 2015
Born
Uppalapati Venkata Krishnam Raju
20 January 1940

Mogalthur, Madras Presidency, British India (now Andhra Pradesh, India)
Other names Rebel Star
Occupation Film actor, Politician
Years active 1966–present
Political party Bharatiya Janata Party, Praja Rajyam Party
Spouse(s)

U. Syamaladevi
​(m. 1996)​
Children 3
Relatives U. Suryanarayana Raju (brother)
Prabhas (nephew)

Uppalapati Venkata Krishnam Raju is an Indian actor and politician. He is known for his works in Telugu language films and is widely known as Rebel Star for his rebellious acting style. He is also the winner of the inaugural Nandi Award for Best Actor. Krishnam Raju has starred in more than 183 feature films in his career. He made his film debut with the 1966 Chilaka Gorinka produced and directed by Kotayya Pratyagatma. Krishnam Raju has garnered five Filmfare Awards South and three state Nandi Awards. Krishnam Raju is also an active politician.

Krishnam Raju acted in several blockbuster hit films such as Jeevana Tarangalu (1973), Krishnaveni (1974), Bhakta Kannappa (1976), Amaradeepam (1977), Sati Savitri (1978), Katakataala Rudraiah (1978), Mana Voori Pandavulu (1978), Rangoon Rowdy (1979), Shri Vinayaka Vijayamu (1979), Sita Ramulu (1980), Taxi Driver (1981), Trishulam (1982), Dharmaatmudu (1983), Bobbili Brahmanna (1984), Tandra Paprayudu (1986), Marana Sasanam (1987), Vishwanatha Nayakudu (1987), Antima Theerpu (1988), Bava Bavamaridi (1993), Palnati Pourusham (1994).

After the late 1990s, he became active in politics. He joined Bharatiya Janata Party and was elected to the 12th and 13th Lok Sabha from Kakinada and Narasapur constituencies. He served as a Minister of State for Ministry of External Affairs in the Third Vajpayee Ministry from 1999 to 2004. On 24 March 2009 he joined Praja Rajyam Party founded by Chiranjeevi. In 2009 State Assembly elections he contested for M.P. seat from Rajahmundry and lost.

Personal life

Krishnam Raju was born in Mogalthur, West Godavari District on 20 January 1940 to Uppalapati Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Raju. He married U. Syamala Devi on 20 September 1996, with whom he has three daughters. Film producer U. Suryanarayana Raju is his younger brother and actor Prabhas is his nephew. Another nephew Siddharth Rajkumar made his acting debut with Keratam (2011). Krishnam Raju worked as a journalist for the Andhra Ratna. He was awarded the Second Best Photographer in state level. He is fond of cameras and has a collection of cameras. He is the owner of Gopi Krishna Movies.

Career
Debut and career up to 1967

Krishnam Raju entered Tollywood in 1966 with the film Chilaka Gorinka directed by Kotayya Pratyagatma alongside Krishna Kumari. The film won Nandi Award for Best Feature Film - Silver for that year. Later he acted in the mythological film Sri Krishnavataram which also stars N. T. Rama Rao. He acted in many films with the established actors N. T. Rama Rao and Akkineni Nageswara Rao. He also acted in many films with the established actresses Krishna Kumari, Rajasulochana, Jamuna and Kanchana.
Breakthrough: 1968–1973

Krishnam Raju acted alongside Kanchana in Nenante Nene and set the trend of handsome villain. Later, he acted in Bhale Abbayilu, the Telugu remake of Yash Chopra's 1965 film Waqt. Later he acted in films such as Buddhimantudu, Manushulu Marali, Mallee Pelli and Jai Jawan. He acted opposite Bollywood actress Rekha in Amma Kosam which was her first film as an actress. Later he acted in films such as Anuradha, Bhagyavantudu and Bangaaru Talli, the remake of critically acclaimed 1957 Hindi film Mother India. Later he acted in films such as Muhammad- bin-Tughluq portraying the role of Islamic scholar Ibn Battuta, Raj Mahal, Hantakulu Devaantakulu opposite Rajasulochana, Manavudu Danavudu opposite Krishna Kumari, Neeti-Nijayiti opposite Kanchana and Vinta Dampatulu opposite Jamuna. Later he acted in films such as Badi Panthulu, Bala Mitrula Katha, Jeevana Tarangalu and Kanna Koduku. In most of the films he acted as antihero, villain and supporting roles and in lead roles in a few films.
1974–1983

Krishnam Raju acted in Bantrotu Bharya which marks the first collaboration of Krishnam Raju with Dasari Narayana Rao. Later he acted in the critically acclaimed film Krishnaveni opposite Vanisri directed by V. Madhusudhan Rao. The film marks the debut of Krishnam Raju as a producer, the film was produced under his own production house Gopi Krishna Movies. Later he acted in Parivartana opposite Jamuna, Kanchana and Lakshmi and in Bharati opposite Jamuna, Iddaru Iddare and Yavvanam Katesindi. Later he acted in Bhakta Kannappa portraying the roles of Arjuna and Kannappa Nayanar directed by Bapu which is the unique Telugu film to win National Film Award for Best Audiography. Later he acted in the crime drama Manchiki Maro Peru. Later he acted in Kurukshetram portraying the role of Karna directed by Kamalakara Kameswara Rao. Later he acted in Amaradeepam which marks the first collaboration of Krishnam Raju with K. Raghavendra Rao. The film earned him Filmfare Best Actor Award (Telugu) and Nandi Award for Best Actor for the year 1977. Later he acted in films such as Jeevana Teeralu, Manushulu Chesina Dongalu and Sati Savitri. Later he acted in the lavishly made Katakataala Rudraiah which grossed ₹75 lakh (US$110,000) made on a budget of ₹18 lakh (US$25,000). Later he acted in Mana Voori Pandavulu which was produced by him and Jaya Krishna. The film garnered Filmfare Best Film Award (Telugu) for the year 1978 and Krishnam Raju shared the award with Jaya Krishna. Katakataala Rudraiah and Mana Voori Pandavulu were released within a gap of 10 days and both the films became blockbusters. Later he acted in films such as Ramabanam, Andadu Aagadu in which he acts in a role of a spy which is parallel to James Bond and the film became a smash hit. Later he acted in Rangoon Rowdy, Shri Vinayaka Vijayamu portraying the role of Lord Shiva. Later he acted in films such as Shivamettina Satyam, Kalyana Chakravarti and Alludu Pattina Bharatam which was directed by K. Viswanath. Later he acted in Sita Ramulu, Bebbuli and Prema Tarangalu, the Telugu remake of 1978 Bollywood blockbuster Muqaddar Ka Sikandar. In 1981, he acted in Aadavaallu Meeku Joharlu directed by K. Balachander. In the same year he acted in Agni Poolu which was based on Yaddanapudi Sulochana Rani's novel of the same name. Later he acted in the musical hit, Puli Bidda, Taxi Driver, Ragile Jwala, Guvvala Janta, Rama Lakshmanulu, Madhura Swapnam, Talli Kodukula Anubandham, Nipputo Chelagaatam, Golconda Abbulu, Jaggu, Pralaya Rudrudu and critically acclaimed Trishulam. Later he acted in Nijam Chebite Nerama!, Adavi Simhalu, Puli Bebbuli, Kotikokkadu and Dharmaatmudu.
1984–1990

In 1984, Krishnam Raju acted in Yuddham, Sardar, Babulugaadi Debba, Kondaveeti Nagulu and S. P. Bhayankar. Later, he acted in the Tollywood industrial hit Bobbili Brahmanna which earned him Filmfare Best Actor Award (Telugu) and Nandi Award for Best Actor.[6] He also remade the film in Hindi as Dharm Adhikari with Dilip Kumar and Jeetendra in 1986. Later, he acted in films such as Raraju, Bharatamlo Shankaravam, Rowdy, Bandee, Tirugubatu, Aggi Raju, Bullet, Ukku Manishi, Ravana Brahma, Neti Yugadharmam and Ugra Narasimham. In 1986, he acted in Tandra Paparayudu portraying the role of Tandra Paparayudu which earned him Filmfare Best Actor Award for the year 1986. The film was premiered at the 11th International Film Festival of India. Later, he acted in films such as Sardar Dharmanna and Marana Shasanam which earned him Filmfare Best Actor Award for the year 1987. In 1987, he acted in Brahma Nayudu, Vishwanatha Nayakudu portraying the role of Srikrishnadevaraya. Later, he acted in films such as Maarana Homam, Kirai Dada, Maa Inti Maha Raju, Antima Teerpu, Prithvi Raj, Prachanda Bharatam, Dharma Teja, Prana Snehitulu, Simha Swapnam, Shri Ramachandrudu, Bhagawan, Two Town Rowdy, Yama Dharma Raju and Neti Siddhartha.
1991–present

In 1991, Krishnam Raju acted in Vidhata, Bava Bavamaridi, Jailor Gaari Abbayi, Andaroo Andare, Gangmaster. In 1994, he acted in Palnati Pourusham & this film super hit at box office.. Later he acted in Rikshaw Rudraiah, Simha Garjana, Nayudugaari Kutumbam, Tata Manavadu, Kutumba Gowravam and Maa Nannaki Pelli which won Nandi Award for Akkineni Award for Best Home-viewing Feature Film. In 1997, he entered Sandalwood and acted in two Kannada films viz Hai Bangalore and Simhada Mari. Later he acted in Sultan, Vanshoddharakudu and Neeku Nenu Naaku Nuvvu which won Nandi Award for Akkineni Award for Best Home-viewing Feature Film. Later he acted in Raam and Billa, a film of the Don film series and acted with Prabhas for the first time. Later he acted in Thakita Thakita and Rebel. Billa marks the second innings of his production house, Gopi Krishna Movies. Krishnam Raju said in an interview that he would produce films continuously under the banner. Later he acted in Chandee, Yevade Subramanyam and the first Indian 3D historical film, Rudramadevi where he portrays the role of Ganapati Devudu, father of Rudramadevi.
Political career

He contested an unsuccessful election in 1992 from Narsapuram on a Congress ticket. After a brief hibernation, he rejoined politics, accepting an invitation from the Bharatiya Janata Party. He won the 1998 Lok Sabha elections from Kakinada. He set a record with a thumping majority of over 165,000 votes, the maximum majority as compared to any of the other constituencies in Andhra Pradesh which ensured him a berth at the Centre. He was in the advisory committees of the Information and Broadcasting and Commerce and Industry Ministries during 1998-99.

Role in the prohibition of cow slaughter

The Ban on Cow Slaughter Bill, 1999 was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Yogi Adityanath which provided for complete prohibition on slaughter of cows for all purposes. The statement of objects and reasons appended to the Bill stated, "Article 48 of the Constitution enjoins on the State to organise agriculture and animal husbandry on modern and scientific lines and in particular to take steps for preserving and improving the breeds and prohibiting the slaughter of cow and its progeny.

Best Actor
Year Film Role
1977 Amara Deepam Shri Krishna / Hari
1984 Bobbili Brahmanna Brahmanna / Ravi
Best Character Actor
Year Film Role
1994 Jailor Gaari Abbayi Jailor Chakrapani

2014 - Raghupathi Venkaiah Award
TSR TV9 National Awards

2012 - Lifetime Achievement Award
Zee Telugu Awards

2015 - Lifetime Achievement Award
Gulf Andhra Musical Awards (GAMA)
2015 - Lifetime Achievement Award
K. P. A. C. Sunny

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

K. P. A. C. Sunny
Born
Sunny D'Cruz
1934
Died 18 Apr 2006 (aged 72)
Nationality Indian
Occupation Film actor
Years active 1961–2006
Spouse(s) Mercy
Children Deepa, Roopa
Parent(s) Jacob

K. P. A. C. Sunny (1934–2006) was an Indian actor in Malayalam movies. He acted in more than 400 Malayalam films. He occupied the movie industry for four decades.

Background

Sunny was born as Sunny D'Cruz in Chavara, Kollam on 18 April 1934. His father's name is Jacob. He completed his education at Chavara English Medium High School and graduated from Fatima Mata National College, Kollam. He established as a good actor while at school, where he also scripted a drama titled Sneham Anaswaramanu. He was elected as College Arts Club Secretary during college life. He also worked in Kala Nilayam. He worked as an Accountant in State Small Scale Agricultural Corporation from 1964. After joining K.P.A.C drama troupe he adopted K.P.A.C as a prefix for his name. He died from a heart attack on 18 April 2006, which was his 72nd birthday. He was survived by his wife Mercy and two daughters.
Kishor Kadam

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Kishor Kadam
Born 9 November 1967
Nationality Indian
Occupation Actor, Poet

Kishore Kadam (born 9 November 1967) is an Indian actor who has acted prominently in Marathi and Hindi movies. He has also acted in Tamil movies and has appeared in some TV serials as well. He is a veteran Marathi poet, writing with his pseudonym Saumitra and well known for his poems in the album Garawa with Milind Ingle, all songs revolved on the topic of rain.

Career

Kishor won critical acclaim for his performance in the lead role in Samar directed by Shyam Benegal, the film won the National Film Award for the best film in 1999. He also has acted in Natrang as Pandoba. In 2010 he won the Zee Gaurav Puraskar for best supporting actor and the Nilu Phule Sanman award. His other Hindi ventures include Ek Chalis Ki Last Local, Black Friday And the newer films Baby (2015), Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar and Special 26 among others.

More recently, Kishor played terrorist leader Ravindran in the Hindi TV series 24.

Kothanda Ramaiah
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Keyaar
Born
Kothanda Ramaiah
1 January 1953

Other names Keyaar
Occupation Film director, producer, distributor, exhibitor, media personality
Years active 1975–present
Spouse(s) Indira

Kothanda Ramaiah (also known as K.R and Keyaar) is an Indian Tamil film director, producer, distributor and exhibitor. He has held various leading positions in different film industry organizations.

Career

KR studied film processing at the Adyar Film Institute in Chennai in 1972. Upon graduation in 1975, he spent three years as a technician in Doordarshan Kendra. KR made his debut film as a director and producer with the Malayalam film Sisirathil Oru Vasantham. Prior to its release, the film faced a number of distribution problems and was eventually released by Suguna Screens in 1980. Although the film failed at the box office, it provided him the incentive to move into film distribution and exhibition across Tamil Nadu covering territories including: Chennai City, North Arcot, South Arcot, Chengelpet, Pondicherry, and Tirupathi. He distributed successful films such as: Thillu Mullu, Thai Veedu, Vaidehi Kathirunthal, Sindhu Bhairavi, Punnagai Mannan, Chinna Poove Mella Pesu, Michael Madana Kama Rajan, Poovizhi Vasalile, Guru Sishyan, Mappillai, Rajadhi Raja, and My Dear Kuttichathan 3D in Tamil.
Member and Honorary Position

He was one of the members of an eight-member advisory committee, which included several personalities from across the country, to advise the Honorable Union Minister in the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Mrs.Sushma Swaraj on major issues related to policy and other matters pertaining to the Indian film industry in 2001.

Kamal Kamaraju
From Wikipedia,
Kamal Kamaraju
Born
Kamal Kamaraju
3 September 1981

Occupation

Actor
writer
Years active 2005–present
Spouse(s)
Supriya Biswas
​(m. 2013)​

Kamal Kamaraju is an Indian actor and writer who works in Telugu cinema. He has a degree in architecture from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University. He is passionate about movies. He is also a writer, assistant art director, and a commendable painter. He is an ace photographer and architect; one of his works includes the restaurant 'Moksha' in Hyderabad, Telangana.

Early and personal life

Kamaraju was born on 3 September 1981 in Sevagram (Gandhi ashram), Wardha district of Maharashtra to Jawaharlal Kamaraju and Nirmala Gutta. His father retired as an AGM in Navratna Company NMDC and his mother took voluntary retirement from state organization MARKFED. Both hail from Hyderabad where they brought up Kamal. Kamal has an elder brother, Kranthi Kiran.

Kamal was named after his paternal grandmother, Kamala Devi, who hails from Razole in East Godavari district. His maternal grandparents were freedom fighters and were particular that their daughter give birth in renowned Gandhian surroundings.

Kamal studied at Little Flower High School in Hyderabad, where he picked up interest in art, theatre and dance. This later on led to his joining architecture from the JNTU–School of Planning and Architecture (presently Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University), Hyderabad where he earned his bachelor's degree in Architecture.

His love for acting and his desire to stay in India led him to choose film career where he subsequently became a known face in the Telugu film industry. He currently stays in Hyderabad and pursues his passion for art and architecture.

On 6 October 2013, Kamal got engaged to Supriya Biswas and the two got married on 13 December 2013.

Career

Kamal started his career as an assistant art director to director Chandra Sekhar Yeleti under the tutelage of renowned art director Ravinder for the film Anukokunda Oka Roju (2006). He got his first opportunity as an actor in Chhatrapati (2006) while working as associate art director for the same film under director S.S. Rajamouli. However, he was most recognised for his role in Sekhar Kammula's Godavari (2006).

He then paired up with Kuruvilla to do an independent film called Confessions of a Film Actor (2007) which was one of the first films to be released online as a pay-per-view and became an instant hit overseas.

He was later launched as hero by Kammula who produced the well acclaimed Avakai Biryani (2008) directed by Anish Kuruvilla. This led him to doing lead roles in other films like Kalavaramaye Madilo (2009) and Virodhi (2011).

He also ventured into Tamil films with Ayiram Vilakku (2010) under the direction of Hosimin where he played a negative role.

Filmography

As actor
2005 – Chatrapati
2006 – Godavari as Ravindra / Ravi
2007 – Confessions of a Film maker
2008 – Avakai Biryani as Akbar Kalam
2008 – Jalsa as Indu's husband
2010 – Aayiram Vilakku (Tamil)
2011 – Virodhi
2013 – Aravind 2
2014 - Legend as Jitendra's son
2015 - Ladies & Gentlemen as Anand
2016 - Araku Road lo
2017 - Katamarayudu as Katamarayudu's younger brother
2017 - Arjun Reddy as Gautham Reddy, arjun's brother
2017 - Kutumba Katha chitram as Watchman
2018 - LAW-love and war as vikram
2018 - Mithai as Siddharth
2018- Tharuvata Evaru
2019 - Maharshi as Ajay, Rishi's collegemate
2020 – Miss India as Arjun Chaitanya
2021 – Vakeel Saab as AnwarAs an assistant art director
2005 – Chatrapati
2005 – Anukokunda Oka RojuAs a writer (dialogues)
2007 – I am FamousTheatre
2011 – "who is afraid of Virginia Woolf"Art Show
2012 – My Name is Minnu

2015 – Rani
Kalidas Jayaram
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kalidas Jayaram
Kalidas Jayaram at a function
Nationality Indian
Occupation Actor
Years active 2000- 2003 (child artist),
2016–present
Parent(s)

Jayaram (father)
Awards


Kalidas Jayaram (born 16 December 1993) is an Indian film actor who predominantly appears in Malayalam as well as in Tamil films. The son of film actors Jayaram and Parvathy, Kalidas made his debut in the Malayalam film Kochu Kochu Santhoshangal (2000) at the age of seven. Later, he starred in Ente Veedu Appuvinteyum (2003), which won him the National Film Award for Best Child Artist. In 2016, he made his debut in Tamil cinema with Meen Kuzhambum Mann Paanaiyum (2016) and returned to Malayalam with Poomaram (2018), written, co-produced and directed by Abrid Shine.

Early life

Kalidas was born the eldest of two children, to actors Jayaram and Parvathy in Perumbavoor, Kerala, India. He has a younger sister Malavika Jayaram. He had his primary education until tenth grade at Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan, Chennai and his plus-two at Choice School, Cochin, Kerala. He received his bachelor's degree in Visual Communication from Loyola College, Chennai. Like his father, he is good at imitating actors, and the mimicry performed during a Vijay TV award show and an advertisement for a chocolate brand made him familiar to people.

Film career
Kalidas receiving the Best Child Artist award from President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

At the age of 7, he made his debut in Sathyan Anthikad's Kochu Kochu Santhoshangal (2000). He received the National Award for Best Child Artist for his second film Ente Veedu Appuvinteyum (2003), directed by Siby Malayil. Kalidas played the lead in Balaji Tharaneetharan's second directorial venture Oru Pakka Kathai. He made his debut as a lead actor in Malayalam cinema in Poomaram (2018). In 2019, Kalidas had 3 releases: Mr. & Ms. Rowdy, Argentina Fans Kaattoorkadavu and Happy Sardar.
K Moorthy Kannan
Director, Writer, Screenwriter

K Moorthy Kannan is also known as K. MoorthyKannan is a Director, Writer, and Screenwriter from India. Age 48 years (06 January 1974) born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. So far K Moorthy Kannan has worked in the Kollywood entertainment industry and his artwork has been released in Tamil language movies.

Biography
Full Name K Moorthy Kannan
Other Names K. MoorthyKannan
Occupation 
Director,
Writer,
Screenwriter
Gender Male
Date of Birth 06 January 1974
Birth Place Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Residence Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Kunigal Nagabhushan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kunigal Nagabhushan
Born
Kunigal Nagabhushan
6 December 1945
Died 23 June 2013 (aged 67)
Bangalore, India
Nationality Indian
Other names K. S. Nagabhushan, K. S. Nagabhushana, K. Nagabhushan, Kunigal Bhushan, K. S. Nagesh
Alma mater Degree in cinematography 
Occupation
Film actor
dialogue writer
director
Spouse(s) Geetha
Children 1

Kunigal Nagabhushan (6 December 1945 – 23 June 2013) was an Indian film actor in the Kannada film industry. Some of the notable films of Kunigal Nagabhushan as an actor include S.P. Sangliyana 2 (1990), C.B.I. Shankar (1989), Daari Tappida Maga (1975).

Career

Kunigal Nagabhushan had contributed to more than two hundred Kannada films, as actor, dialogue writer and assistant director.

Selected filmography
Writer
Gokula Krishna (2012)
Kiladi Krishna (2010)
Ramasamy Krishnasamy (2003)
Mane Magalu (2003)
Ammavra Ganda (1997)
Amruthavarshini (1997)
Yaarigoo Helbedi(1992)

Awards
YearAwardFilmCreditsCategoryResultRef
1994-95 Karnataka State Film Award Yarigu Helbedi Dialogue writer Best Dialogue Won 
1991-92 Gauri Ganesha Won
2011 Kempegowda Award -NA- Contribution to films -NA- Won 

K. A. Thangavelu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

K. A. Thangavelu

Born
Karaikal Arunachalam Thangavelu
15 January 1917

Karaikal
Died 28 September 1994 (aged 77)

Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Other names Danaal Thangavelu
Occupation Actor, comedian
Years active 1936; 1951–1994
Spouse(s) Rajamani (m. 1943)
M. Saroja (m.1959–1994; until his death)
Children Valarmathi

Vijaya ChamundeswariSumathi

Karaikal Arunachalam Thangavelu (15 January 1917 – 28 September 1994) popularly known as "Danaal Thangavelu", was an Indian film actor and comedian popular in the 1950s to 1970s. Not known for physical, acrobatic comedy like his contemporaries J. P. Chandrababu and Nagesh, Thangavelu's humor is recognised for his impeccable timing in verbal agility and the characteristic twang of his delivery. He exclusively acted in Tamil films.

Early life

Thangavelu was born on 15 January 1917, in Karaikal, but shifted at an early age to Tirumalairayanpattinam. He was one of three sons of Arunachalam and Karumammal. Due to Arunachalam's alcoholism, the family struggled for food everyday. Karumammal died when Thangavelu was six years old, and Arunachalam remarried; Thangavelu's stepmother often abused him. Arunachalam left for Singapore to find better employment and Thangavelu was sent to live with his relatives, but they too abused and ill-treated him. As a child, Thangavelu was a music and theatre fan, often sneaking into halls to watch plays. He eventually joined the Rajambal Company troupe, and was taught acting and mentored originally by Yedhartham Ponnuswamy Pillai, and later by M. Kandaswamy Mudaliar.
Career

Thangavelu spent nine years at Rajambal Company, and after Kandaswamy Mudaliar shifted to the film industry, he too did the same, debuting with a minor, uncredited role in Sathi Leelavathi (1936). Due to lack of success, Thangavelu quit films and survived on alms at a Murugan temple near Kanchipuram until actor M. M. Marappa saw his plight and brought him back into the acting field, this time in theatre. As a result, Thangavelu became more financially stable, and his father also returned to live with him. After a long sabbatical from films, Thangavelu returned to the field in 1951 with Manamagal; director N. S. Krishnan cast him after having already seen and liking his several stage performances. He followed it with a comical role in Singari the same year, through which he got the prefix "Danaal" after the often repeated word of his character. Films like Ponvayal and Panam Paduthum Padu (both released in 1954) were instrumental in establishing Thangavelu as a comedian. Throughout his career, Thangavelu acted only in Tamil films. He had won Tamil Nadu government's Kalaimamani in 1968 and Kalaivanar award in 1989.
Personal life

Thangavelu was originally married to Rajamani. He later married actress M. Saroja who was his pair in more than 50 films. Despite their age difference, they loved and married in Madurai Murugan temple during the 100th day celebration of their film Kalyana Parisu.
Death

Thangavelu died on 28 September 1994 at his house in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He is survived by his and Saroja's only child, daughter Sumathi.

Kedar Shinde

Kedar Shinde

Born on 16 Jan 1973
Kedar Shinde Biography

Kedarh grew up with the determination to do something different in the field of art. His first step was Inter-collegiate one act play competitions. Even here he wanted to do something different & then came a variety of One Act Plays..

For his plays Kedarh got number of trophies for writing, direction & sometimes for acting as well.

Then Kedarh entered the field of PROFASSIONAL PLAYS. His first play was ‘BOMB-E-MERI JAAN’ which didn’t do well as expected but that didn’t deter Kedarh from trying harder. He directed series of play which were commercially successful and thus Kedarh become a trendsetter by making comedy plays with pinch of salt. His plays include ‘AAMCHYA SARKHE AAMHICH’, ‘MANOMANI’, ‘SHRIMANTA DAMODARPANT’, ‘TU TU MI MI’, ‘VIJAY DINANATH CHAVHAN’, ‘AATA HOUNACH JAAU DYA’, ‘SAHI RE SAHI’, ‘LOCHYA ZALA RE’, ‘GOPALA RE GOPALA’.

The next step was TELEVISION SERIALS. Even here Kedarh Shinde wanted to do something different. Serials like ‘HOUSE FULL’, ‘HASA CHAKATFU’, ‘SHRIYUT GANGADHAR TIPRE’, ‘JAGAWEGALI’, ‘SAAHEB BIWI AI MEE’, ‘GHADLAY BIGHADLAY’ on the prestigious channel called ZEE MARATHI won the hearts of many & thus Kedarh become a household name as a brilliant director & writer!. His serials were different yet they touched the heart of the common man.

Now, came the next step. FILMS. It’s not necessary to mention that even here Kedarh intended to do something different. He rocked the Marathi film industry with his debut film itself which was called ‘AGA BAAI…AARECHYA!’ His unbelievable creativity, technical excellence, unique subjects & high production value adorned his first film as well as all others that followed. Aga baai... was like a revolution for the Marathi film industry. Kedarh shot an item song which had never been done before.

This item song was choreographed by FARAH KHAN who is a famous choreographer & director & has worked with the like of Shahrukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, and Amitabh Bachhan etc. The item song was performed by SONALI BENDRE a veteran actress of her times. Both are worked in a Marathi film only with Kedarh. & it’s needless to say that ‘Aga Baai… Aarechya!’ was a huge hit!

Then followed his major hits like ‘JATRA’, ‘YANDA KARTAVYA AAHE!’, ‘MAJHA NAVRA TUJHI BAAYKO’, ‘HYANCHA KAHI NEM NAHI!’, ‘BAKULA NAMDEV GHOTALE’, ‘GALGALE NIGHALE!’ It was Kedarh who got the privilege of being the first director to shoot a Marathi film in London called ‘MUKKAM POST LONDON’.

Right now Kedarh is on the verge of releasing his 9th Marathi film ‘IRADA PAKKA’.

And His First Hindi Film ‘TOH BAAT PAKKI!’ Produced by Tips Films. Staring Tabu, Sharman Joshi, Vatsal Sheth, Aayub Khan, Yuvika, Sharad Suxena.

Kedarh Shinde has always successfully lived up to the expectations of his ever-increasing audience. Along with innumerable awards he has earned a lot of love from his fans. It is for these people that he wants to work harder & continue to set up higher standards through his direction, writing & as always by doing something different !

Karthik Subbaraj
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Karthik Subbaraj
Karthik at Iraivi Press Meet in 2016
Born 19 March 1983 
Occupation
Film director
screenwriter
producer
Years active 2012–present
Spouse(s)
Sathya Prema
​(m. 2011)​

Karthik Subbaraj is an Indian film director, writer and producer working mainly in Tamil cinema.

Life and career

Karthik did his schooling in SBOA Matriculation and Higher Secondary School, Madurai after which he went on to study Mechatronics at Thiagarajar College of Engineering. During his college days he performed stage shows and skits. His father, Gajaraj, is an actor who has acted in many supporting roles in films like Mundasupatti and Kabali.

He made the short film "Kaatchipizhai" in Madurai, which was selected for Nalaya Iyakunar.

Karthik had intended to direct Jigarthanda first but could not fund the project. He then came up with the story for the low-budget Pizza which introduced the 7.1 sound system. The film was a commercial success, remade in Hindi and Kannada. This allowed him the opportunity to make Jigarthanda, which received positive reviews and earned actor Bobby Simha a national award. Subbaraj was praised by industry stalwarts like director S. Shankar and Mani Ratnam. His third movie, Iraivi (2016), received positive reviews and Subbaraj was praised for the film's portrayal of society's treatment of women. The movie also observed the various ways men's attitudes and behaviors impact women throughout life. He also showcased the pain he gothrough from the producer of his second film, through the character of SJ Surya. He then went on and directed a silent thriller, Mercury (2018), starring Prabhu Deva in its lead, which was not a commercial success. He produced Kallachirippu, a web series under his banner Stone bench.

Subbaraj directed the action drama Petta (2019) with Rajinikanth's 166th film. Kalanithi Maran of Sun Pictures produced the film while Anirudh Ravichander composed the film's music, replacing Santhosh Narayanan who composed for the director's previous ventures. Nawazuddin Siddiqui made his Tamil film debut with this film. In the meanwhile, he produced the Amazon original movie Penguin starring Keerthy Suresh in the lead role. He produced the Hotstar Originals web series Triples starring Jai and Vani Bhojan.

He then directed Miracle, a short film for the Amazon Anthology film and Peace Putham Pudhu Kaalai (2020).
Kevin Spacey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kevin Spacey

Spacey in 2013
Born
Kevin Spacey Fowler
July 26, 1959 

Education Juilliard School
Occupation

Actor
producer
singer
Years active 1981–present

Awards Full list

Kevin Spacey Fowler KBE (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor and producer. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles in film and television. Spacey's first roles in film were in Mike Nichols' Heartburn (1986), and Working Girl (1988). He gained critical acclaim in the 1990s, with an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the neo-noir crime thriller The Usual Suspects (1995) and an Academy Award for Best Actor for the midlife-crisis-themed drama American Beauty (1999). His other starring roles have included Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), the comedy-drama film Swimming with Sharks (1994), the psychological thriller Seven (1995), the neo-noir crime film L.A. Confidential (1997), the drama Pay It Forward (2000), the science fiction-mystery film K-PAX (2001), the musical biopic Beyond the Sea (2004), the superhero film Superman Returns (2006), and the action film Baby Driver (2017).

In Broadway theatre, Spacey starred in Long Day's Journey into Night in 1986 alongside Jack Lemmon. In 1991, he won a Tony Award for his role in Lost in Yonkers. He continued to act in theatre receiving his second Tony Award nomination for The Iceman Cometh in 1999. He was the artistic director of the Old Vic theatre in London from 2004 until stepping down in mid-2015. In 2017, he hosted the 71st Tony Awards. From 2013 to 2017, Spacey played Frank Underwood in the Netflix political drama series House of Cards, which won him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama and two consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series as well as five consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Best Actor in a Drama Series.

His role as J. Paul Getty in Ridley Scott's film All the Money in the World (2017) was reshot with Christopher Plummer in his place. In 2018, Billionaire Boys Club (which had been completed before the allegations surfaced) was released with Spacey's role unchanged.

Early life and education

Kevin Spacey Fowler was born in South Orange, New Jersey, to Kathleen Ann (nĆ©e Knutson), a secretary, and Thomas Geoffrey Fowler, a technical writer and data consultant. Spacey has an older brother, Randy Fowler, who is a limousine driver and Rod Stewart impersonator in Boise, Idaho, and a sister, Julie Ann Fowler Keir, an office worker. His family relocated to Southern California when he was four years old Randy Fowler (from whom Spacey is estranged) has stated that their father, whom he described as a racist "Nazi supporter", was sexually and physically abusive, and that Spacey had shut down emotionally and become "very sly and smart" to avoid whippings.

Spacey attended Northridge Military Academy, Canoga Park High School in the 10th and 11th grades. He graduated co-valedictorian (along with Mare Winningham) of the class of 1977 of Chatsworth High School in Chatsworth, California. At Chatsworth, Spacey starred in the school's senior production of The Sound of Music, playing the part of Captain Georg von Trapp, with Winningham as Maria von Trapp. He started using his middle name "Spacey", which is also his paternal grandmother's maiden name.

Spacey had tried to succeed as a comedian for several years before attending the Juilliard School in New York City, as a member of Group 12, where he studied drama with teacher Marian Seldes between 1979 and 1981. During this time period, he performed stand-up comedy in bowling alley talent contests.

Career

Theatre
1981–1986: Career beginnings in theatre

Spacey's first professional stage appearance was as a spear carrier in a New York Shakespeare Festival performance of Henry VI, Part 1 in 1981. The following year, he made his first Broadway appearance, as Oswald in a production of Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts, starring Liv Ullmann. Then he portrayed Philinte in MoliĆØre's The Misanthrope. In 1984, Spacey appeared in a production of David Rabe's Hurlyburly, in which he rotated through each of the male parts (he would later play Mickey in the film version). Next came Anton Chekhov's The Seagull alongside David Strathairn and Colleen Dewhurst. In 1986, Spacey appeared in a production of Sleuth in a New Jersey dinner theatre.

1986–1991: Broadway success and Tony win

Spacey's prominence as a stage actor began in 1986, when he was cast opposite Jack Lemmon, Peter Gallagher and Bethel Leslie as Jamie, the eldest Tyrone son, in Jonathan Miller's lauded production of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night. Lemmon in particular would become a mentor to Spacey and was invited, along with Spacey's high school drama teacher, to be present when Spacey received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999.

Spacey remained actively involved in the live theater community. In 1991, he won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Uncle Louie in Neil Simon's Broadway hit Lost in Yonkers. Spacey's father was unconvinced that Spacey could make a career for himself as an actor, and did not change his mind until Spacey became well-known. In 1999, Spacey won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor and earned another Tony Award nomination in 1999 for The Iceman Cometh.

2003–2015: Artistic director of the Old Vic

In February 2003, Spacey announced that he was returning to London to become the artistic director of the Old Vic, one of the city's oldest theatres. Appearing at a press conference with Judi Dench and Elton John, Spacey promised both to appear on stage and to bring in big-name talent. He undertook to remain in the post for a full ten years. The Old Vic Theatre Company staged shows eight months out of the year. Spacey's first season started in September 2004, and opened with the British premiere of the play Cloaca by Maria Goos, directed by Spacey, which opened to mixed reviews. In the 2005 season, Spacey made his UK Shakespearean debut, to good notices, in the title role of Richard II directed by Trevor Nunn.

In September 2006, Spacey said that he intended to take up British citizenship when it is offered to him. When asked about the UK's 2016 European Union membership referendum, Spacey replied, "I appreciate you asking me the question, but I am not a British citizen, I am a resident of Great Britain. And I have never in my twelve years ever gotten involved in politics in Great Britain. I think it's inappropriate for me as a, really as a guest, in Great Britain, so I'll leave that to the British people." On June 16, 2016, Spacey was awarded an honorary knighthood for his services to theatre. The honor, Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, was given at Clarence House by Prince Charles. While Spacey will be permitted to add the post-nominal letters, KBE, to his name, as a non-Commonwealth citizen the award is honorary and he will not be able to style himself as "Sir Kevin". Spacey had previously been awarded the lesser rank of honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to drama in 2010.

Spacey was a patron of the Shakespeare Schools Festival, a charity that enables school children across the UK to perform Shakespeare in professional theatres. He also sits on the board of directors of the Motion Picture and Television Fund.

In mid-2006, Spacey said that he was having the time of his life working at the Old Vic; at that point in his career, he said, he was "trying to do things now that are much bigger and outside [myself]". Spacey performed in productions of National Anthems by Dennis McIntyre, and The Philadelphia Story by Philip Barry, in which he played C.K. Dexter Haven, the Cary Grant role in the film version. Critics applauded Spacey for taking on the management of a theatre, but noted that while his acting was impressive, his skills and judgment as a producer/manager had yet to develop.

In the 2006 season, Spacey suffered a major setback with a production of Arthur Miller's Resurrection Blues, directed by Robert Altman. Despite an all-star cast (including Matthew Modine and future House of Cards co-star Neve Campbell) and the pedigree of Miller's script, Spacey's decision to lure Altman to the stage proved disastrous: after a fraught rehearsal period, the play opened to a critical panning, and closed after only a few weeks. Later in the year, Spacey starred in Eugene O'Neill's A Moon for the Misbegotten, along with Colm Meaney and Eve Best. The play received excellent reviews for Spacey and Best, and was transferred to Broadway in 2007. For the spring part of the 2007–08 season, Jeff Goldblum and Laura Michelle Kelly joined Spacey as the three characters in David Mamet's 1988 play Speed-the-Plow.

In 2009, he directed the premiere of Joe Sutton's Complicit, with Richard Dreyfuss, David Suchet and Elizabeth McGovern. Later that year, Trevor Nunn directed Spacey in a revival of Inherit the Wind. Spacey played defense lawyer Henry Drummond, a role that was made famous by Spencer Tracy in the 1960 film of the same name. Sam Mendes directed Spacey in Shakespeare's Richard III; Spacey played the title role. The show began in June 2011, commencing a worldwide tour culminating in New York in early 2012. In March 2014, it was announced that Spacey would star in a one-man play at the Old Vic to celebrate his ten years as artistic director. He took on the part of Clarence Darrow in the play.

Film
1986–1994: Early roles and breakthrough

In 1986, Spacey made his first film appearance in Mike Nichols' Heartburn starring Meryl Streep, and Jack Nicholson. Spacey plays a small role credited as a subway thief. In 1988 Spacey also briefly appeared in another Nichols' film Working Girl, as sleazy businessman Bob Speck. Some of Spacey's other early roles include a widowed, eccentric millionaire on L.A. Law; the television miniseries The Murder of Mary Phagan (1988), opposite Lemmon; and the comedy See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989). Spacey quickly developed a reputation as a character actor, and was cast in bigger roles, including the malevolent office manager in the ensemble film adaptation of the David Mamet play Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) starring Al Pacino. He also played one-half of a bickering Connecticut couple alongside Judy Davis in the dark comedy Christmas film The Ref (1994), and a malicious Hollywood studio boss in the satire Swimming with Sharks (1995), gaining him positive notices by critics.
1990–1999: Rise to stardom and awards success

Spacey's performance as the enigmatic criminal Verbal Kint in Bryan Singer's 1995 neo-noir film The Usual Suspects won him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

In 1995, Spacey also appeared in the David Fincher detective thriller Seven, making a sudden entrance late in the film as serial killer John Doe after going uncredited and unmentioned in the film's advertisements and opening credits. His work in Seven, The Usual Suspects and Outbreak earned him Best Supporting Actor honors at the 1995 Society of Texas Film Critics Awards. Spacey played an egomaniacal district attorney in A Time to Kill (1996), and founded Trigger Street Productions in 1997, with the purpose of producing and developing entertainment across various media. Spacey made his directorial debut with the film Albino Alligator (1996). The film was a box office bomb, grossing $339,379 with a budget of $6 million, but critics praised Spacey's direction. He also voiced Hopper in the animated film A Bug's Life (1998).

Throughout his career, Spacey has been well known for playing villains; he remarked in 2013: "I think people just like me evil for some reason. They want me to be a son of a bitch."

In 1999, Spacey acted alongside Annette Bening in Sam Mendes' American Beauty. In the film he played the role of Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father and advertising executive who lusts after his teenage daughter's best friend. Spacey won his second Oscar this time for Best Actor in a Leading Role. In his acceptance speech he dedicated his Oscar to Jack Lemmon praising him as an influence, mentor, and father figure. He also stated, "[Lemmon's] performance in The Apartment stands as one of the finest we've ever had". That same year, he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2000–2009: Continued work

Spacey played a physically and emotionally scarred grade school teacher in Pay It Forward (2000), a patient in a mental institution who may or may not be an alien in K-Pax (2001), and singer Bobby Darin in Beyond the Sea (2004). The latter was a lifelong dream project for Spacey, who took on co-writing, directing, co-producing and starring duties in the biography/musical about Darin's life, career and relationship with actress Sandra Dee. Facing little interest for backing in the U.S., Spacey went to the United Kingdom and Germany for funding. Almost all of the film was made in Berlin. Spacey provided his own vocals on the film's soundtrack and appeared in several tribute concerts around the time of its release. Spacey received mostly positive reviews for his singing, as well as a Golden Globe nomination for his performance. However, reviewers debated the age disparity between Spacey and Darin, noting that Spacey was too old to convincingly portray Darin, particularly during the early stages of the singer's life depicted in the film.

In 2006, Spacey played Lex Luthor in the Bryan Singer superhero film Superman Returns starring Brandon Routh. He was to return for its 2009 sequel, but the series was instead rebooted with the 2013 film Man of Steel. Spacey also appeared in Edison, which received a direct-to-video release in 2006.

In 2008, Spacey played an MIT lecturer in the film 21. The film is based on Ben Mezrich's best seller Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions, a story of student MIT card-counters who used mathematical probability to aid them in card games such as blackjack. In early 2010, Spacey went to China to star in writer-director Dayyan Eng's black comedy film Inseparable, becoming the first Hollywood actor to star in a fully Chinese-funded film.

2011–2016: Independent films and comedies
Spacey at the Berlin Film Festival 2011

In 2011 Spacey starred in J.C. Chandor's financial thriller Margin Call alongside Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Demi Moore, and Stanley Tucci. The story at large takes place over a 24-hour period at a large Wall Street investment bank during the initial stages of the financial crisis of 2007–2008. In film focuses on the actions taken by a group of employees during the subsequent financial collapse. The film made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim. Spacey received the Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award along with the cast. That same year Spacey co-starred in the black comedy film Horrible Bosses, which grossed over $209.6 million at the box office. He executive produced the biographical survival thriller film Captain Phillips in 2013, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

He starred as President Richard Nixon in the comedy-drama Elvis & Nixon (2016), which is based on the meeting that took place between Nixon and singer Elvis Presley (Michael Shannon) in December 1970 wherein Presley requested Nixon swear him in as an undercover agent in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. He next starred in the comedy film Nine Lives, as a man trapped in the body of a cat. The film was released on August 5, 2016.

In January 2016 it was announced that Relativity Media, which was just emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy had acquired Trigger Street Productions and that Spacey would become chairman of Relativity Studios while Dana Brunetti would become the studio's president. Spacey called the move "an incredible opportunity to make great entertainment" and said he considered it the "next evolution in my career". However, when the paperwork for the studio was filed for the court, it emerged that Spacey had opted out of assuming the chairmanship of the studios, and by the end of 2016 Brunetti had also left Relativity, while both remained executive producers on House of Cards and Manifesto.

2017–present: Baby Driver and career controversy

In March 2017, it was announced that Spacey would portray J. Paul Getty in Ridley Scott's All the Money in the World.[58] He shot his role in the film in ten days over the summer of 2017. However, due to the sexual assault allegations against Spacey, it was announced on November 8, 2017 that all of his footage would be excised, and that Christopher Plummer would replace Spacey as Getty in reshoots. In spite of the very tight schedule, TriStar Pictures completed the new version of the film in time for a December 25 release.

Spacey appeared in the film Billionaire Boys Club, which had a limited release on August 17, 2018. Vertical Entertainment stated that they would be taking no action to remove Spacey from the film, as it had been completed in late 2016, prior to the allegations made in October 2017.


"We don't condone sexual harassment on any level and we fully support victims of it. At the same time, this is neither an easy nor insensitive decision to release this film in theatres, but we believe in giving the cast, as well as hundreds of crew members who worked hard on the film, the chance to see their final product reach audiences."

— Vertical Entertainment on their decision to release the film without any cuts or changes

In May 2021, it was announced that Spacey had been cast in a supporting role as a police detective in the crime drama film The Man Who Drew God, directed by and starring Franco Nero, which is about blind artist who is wrongly accused of sexually abusing a child. Spacey has not commented on the role.

Television

1987–1994: Television debut and early roles

In 1987, Spacey made his first major television appearance in the second-season premiere of Crime Story, playing a Kennedy-esque American senator. That same year he appeared in spy thriller series The Equalizer as Detective Sergeant Cole in the episode "Solo". He earned a fan base after playing the criminally insane arms dealer Mel Profitt on the television series Wiseguy (1988).

2003–2012: HBO projects and other work

Spacey hosted Saturday Night Live twice: first in 1997 with musical guest Beck and special guests Michael Palin and John Cleese from Monty Python's Flying Circus, and again in May 2006 with musical guest Nelly Furtado.

In 2008 Spacey starred as Ron Klain in the HBO original political drama film Recount revolving around Florida's vote recount during the 2000 United States presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore. The film was written by Danny Strong and directed by Jay Roach, starring Bob Balaban, Laura Dern, John Hurt, Denis Leary, and Tom Wilkinson. The television film won three Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Television Movie. For his performance in the film Spacey was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film. That same year Spacey produced Bernard and Doris, an HBO film about the semi-fictionalized account of the relationship that developed between socialite heiress and philanthropist Doris Duke and her self-destructive Irish butler Bernard Lafferty later in her life. The film starred Ralph Fiennes and Susan Sarandon and was directed by Bob Balaban. The film premiered at the Hamptons International Film Festival to critical acclaim, and Spacey was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie.

Spacey is well known in Hollywood for his impressions. When he appeared on Inside the Actors Studio, he imitated (at host James Lipton's request) Jack Lemmon, James Stewart, Johnny Carson, Katharine Hepburn, Clint Eastwood, John Gielgud, Marlon Brando, Christopher Walken, and Al Pacino. On The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Spacey admitted to as a young actor in New York City, using his vocal skills to pretend to be Carson's son to obtain free theater tickets and enter Studio 54 Spacey's Capitol/EMI's album Forever Cool (2007) features two duets with Spacey and an earlier recording of Dean Martin: "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" and "King of the Road". In December 2007, Spacey co-hosted the Nobel Peace Prize Concert along with Uma Thurman.

2013–2017: House of Cards and critical acclaim
Spacey showing Maryland governor Martin O'Malley around the set of House of Cards, May 2013

On March 18, 2011, it was announced that Spacey was cast as Frank Underwood in the Netflix series House of Cards, adapted from a 1990 BBC political drama of the same name He was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2013, becoming the first lead actor to be Primetime Emmy-nominated from a web television series. Spacey went on to win the Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a Television Series Drama at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards and Screen Actors Guild nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series at the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards for his season 2 performance.
Video games

2014: Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

Spacey portrayed the antagonist Jonathan Irons in the 2014 video game Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare through motion capture.

Filmography

Spacey's career has spanned thirty years across film, television, video games and theater. He got his film career started in the late 1980s after small parts in Mike Nichols' films Heartburn (1986) and Working Girl (1988). In the 90s he had supporting roles in films such as Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) opposite Jack Lemmon and Al Pacino and the black comedy film The Ref, before being cast in the role of Roger "Verbal" Kint in 1995's The Usual Suspects, which earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. That same year he played serial killer John Doe in Se7en opposite Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. He went on to star in noir crime drama L.A. Confidential (1997) alongside Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce, Clint Eastwood's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997), and American Beauty (1999), for which he earned his second Academy Award, this time for Best Actor.

In the 2000s he appeared in the films Pay It Forward with Helen Hunt (2000), Superman Returns as Lex Luthor (2006), and 21 with Jim Sturgess (2008), the last of which he also produced. In 2004 he wrote, directed and starred in the biopic musical Beyond the Sea (2004). In 2011 he co-starred with Paul Bettany and Jeremy Irons in the drama film Margin Call. That same year he played antagonist Dave Harken in the comedy Horrible Bosses with Jason Bateman, a role he reprised in the 2014 sequel film Horrible Bosses 2. He played Doc in the 2017 film Baby Driver with Ansel Elgort.

From 2013–2017 he played Francis "Frank" Underwood in the Netflix series House of Cards alongside Robin Wright. Spacey also starred in the HBO television film Recount (2008) and produced the 2006 film Bernard and Doris.

Awards and nominations
Spacey's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, laid in 1999

Spacey has won two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, a Golden Globe Award, four Screen Actors Guild Awards and a British Academy Film Award. He was nominated for a Grammy Award and for 12 Primetime Emmy Awards. Spacey received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999, and was named an honorary Commander and Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2010 and 2015, respectively.

Personal life

An article in The Sunday Times Magazine in 1999 stated that Spacey's "love affair with acting, and the absence of a visible partner in the life of an attractive 40-year-old, has resulted in Esquire magazine asserting two years ago that he must be gay". Spacey responded to the rumors by telling Playboy and other interviewers that he was not gay, and telling Lesley White of The Sunday Times:

I chose for a long time not to answer these questions because of the manner in which they were asked, and because I was never talking to someone I trusted, so why should I? Recently I chose to participate because it's a little hard on the people I love.

In 1999, reports suggested Spacey was dating a script supervisor named Dianne Dreyer, with their relationship possibly dating back as far as 1992. In 2000, Spacey brought Dreyer to the Academy Awards; during the acceptance speech for his Best Actor award, Spacey stated, "Dianne, thank you for teaching me about caring about the right things, and I love you."

In 2007, Gotham magazine quoted Spacey saying:

I've never believed in pimping my personal life out for publicity. Although I might be interested in doing it, I will never do it. People can gossip all they want; they can speculate all they want. I just happened to believe that there's a separation between the public life and the private life. Everybody has the right to a private life no matter what their professions are.

Political views and activism
Spacey speaking during the 2010 Clinton Global Citizen Awards

Spacey's political views have been described as left-leaning and mirroring some of those professed by his fictional character in House of Cards. He is a Democrat and a friend of President Bill Clinton, having met Clinton before his presidency began. Spacey once described Clinton as "one of a shining light" in the political process. He additionally made a cameo appearance in the short film President Clinton: Final Days, a light-hearted political satire produced by the Clinton Administration for the 2000 White House Correspondents Dinner.

Spacey met Venezuelan president Hugo ChĆ”vez in September 2007, but never spoke to the press about their encounter. During the trip, he donated money to the Venezuelan film studio Villa del Cine. In March 2011, following Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko's crackdown on the Belarusian democracy movement, Spacey joined Jude Law in a street protest in London against Lukashenko's regime.

Spacey has undertaken activism in the domain of HIV/AIDS. In 2002, he and fellow actor Chris Tucker accompanied Bill Clinton on a trip throughout several African countries to promote AIDS awareness on the continent. He also participated in several fundraisers for HIV/AIDS healthcare, including amfAR Cinema Against AIDS in 2016 and the 25th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Award Party in 2017.

In October 2008, Spacey started the Kevin Spacey Foundation in the UK to encourage youth involvement in the arts. Headquartered in England and Wales, its purpose was to provide grants to individuals and organizations to help young people study the arts, particularly theatre.The charity shut down in February 2018 following sexual misconduct allegations against Spacey.

In 2018, Earl Blue, owner of the security company VIP Protective Services, claimed that Spacey had used racial slurs against his predominantly African-American staff when they were hired on the House of Cards set in 2012, before getting Blue fired.

Sexual misconduct allegations

On October 29, 2017, actor Anthony Rapp alleged that Spacey, while appearing intoxicated, made a sexual advance toward him in 1986, when Rapp was 14 and Spacey was 26. Rapp had also shared this story in a 2001 interview with The Advocate, but Spacey's name was redacted from publication to avoid legal disputes and public outing. Spacey stated through Twitter that he did not remember the encounter, but that he owed Rapp "the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior" if he had behaved as asserted.

Fifteen others then came forward alleging similar abuse, including Boston anchorwoman Heather Unruh, who alleged that Spacey sexually assaulted her son; filmmaker Tony Montana; actor Roberto Cavazos; Richard Dreyfuss' son Harry; and eight people who worked on House of Cards. The Guardian was contacted by "a number of people" who alleged that Spacey "groped and behaved in an inappropriate way with young men" as artistic director of the Old Vic.

Coming out controversy

On the same day of Rapp's allegations against him, Spacey came out as gay when apologizing to Rapp. He said, "I have had relationships with both men and women. I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and I choose now to live as a gay man." His decision to come out via his statement was criticized by prominent members of the gay community, including Billy Eichner, George Takei, Lance Bass, and Wanda Sykes, as an attempt to change the subject and shift focus from Rapp's accusation, for using his own drunkenness as an excuse for making a sexual advance on a minor, and for implying a connection between homosexuality and child sexual abuse.

Reaction and ramifications

Amid the allegations, filming was suspended on the sixth and final season of House of Cards. The show's production company had implemented "an anonymous complaint hotline, crisis counsellors, and sexual harassment legal advisors for the crew", and stated that in 2012, "someone on the crew shared a complaint about a specific remark and gesture made by Kevin Spacey. Immediate action was taken following our review of the situation and we are confident the issue was resolved promptly to the satisfaction of all involved." According to the production company, Spacey "willingly participated in a training process and since that time MRC has not been made aware of any other complaints" involving him. The show had been due to end in 2018. The season was shortened from 13 episodes to eight, and Spacey was removed from the cast and his role as executive producer.

The Gore Vidal biopic Gore starring Spacey, which was set to be distributed by Netflix, was canceled, and Netflix went on to sever all ties with him. Spacey was due to appear in All the Money in the World as industrialist J. Paul Getty; however, his scenes were cut and Christopher Plummer replaced him as Getty in reshoots.[60] In an interview with Variety, Plummer said, "It's really not replacing [Spacey]. It's starting all over again." Plummer elaborated saying, "I think it's very sad what happened to him... Kevin is such a talented and a terrifically gifted actor, and it's so sad. It's such a shame. That's all I can say, because that's it."

The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences reversed its decision to honor Spacey with the 2017 International Emmy Founders Award. On November 2, 2017, Variety reported that his publicist Staci Wolfe and talent agency Creative Artists Agency were ending their relationships with him.

External video
 "Let Me Be Frank", Spacey's in-character comments

Christmas Eve YouTube videos

Beginning in 2018, Spacey has posted one new video to his YouTube channel on Christmas Eve. On December 24, 2018, Spacey uploaded a video titled "Let Me Be Frank", in which he – while in character as Frank Underwood – appeared to deny the real-life allegations leveled against him. The video was described as "bizarre", "stomach-churning", and "creepy". As of August 2020, the video has over 12 million views.

One year later, on December 24, 2019, Spacey posted another video, titled "KTWK" (short for "kill them with kindness"), to his YouTube channel, once again in character as Underwood. In 2020, Spacey posted a third Christmas Eve video, titled "1-800 [sic] XMAS", in which he spoke in Underwood's accent before breaking character and speaking in his natural voice. He then expressed sympathy for people struggling amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and promoted two suicide and substance abuse hotlines.

Legal issues

The Los Angeles District Attorney's office stated in April 2018 that it would investigate an allegation that Spacey had sexually assaulted an adult male in 1992.In July 2018, three more allegations of sexual assault against Spacey were revealed by Scotland Yard, bringing the total number of open investigations in the UK to six. In September 2018, a lawsuit filed at Los Angeles Superior Court claimed that Spacey sexually assaulted an unnamed masseur at a house in Malibu, California, in October 2016.

In December 2018, Spacey was charged with a felony for allegedly sexually assaulting journalist Heather Unruh's 18-year-old son in Nantucket, Massachusetts, in July 2016. Spacey pleaded not guilty to the charge on January 7, 2019. Unruh's son told police he was texting with his girlfriend throughout the alleged "groping" incident. Spacey's defense attorneys spent months trying to obtain copies of the texts and the phone itself. In mid-May 2019, Unruh's son's personal attorney informed the court that the cell phone in question is "missing". On June 4, 2019, the defense learned that when Unruh gave her son's cell phone to police in 2017, she admitted she had deleted some of the text messages. Later that month, her son filed a lawsuit against Spacey, claiming emotional damages. On July 5, 2019, he voluntarily dismissed the claims with prejudice.

On July 17, 2019, the criminal assault charge against Spacey was dropped by the Cape and Islands prosecutors. When the anonymous massage therapist who accused him died, the last remaining criminal case against Spacey was closed.

On September 9, 2020, Rapp sued Spacey for sexual assault, sexual battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress under the Child Victims Act, which extended New York's statute of limitations for civil suits related to child sexual abuse. Joining Rapp in the suit against Spacey was a man who requested to remain anonymous who accused Spacey of sexually abusing him in 1983, when he was 14 and Spacey was 24. On June 17, 2021, the anonymous accuser was dismissed from the case due to his refusal to publicly identify himself.

Discography

Albums
Singles
Live performances

Kapil Nirmal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Kapil Nirmal
Born 23 Nov 1980
Kapil

Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Nationality Indian
Occupation Actor

Kapil Nirmal is an Indian television actor who is best known for his portrayal of Yudhishthir Sisodia (also known as Kunwar Yudhishthir) in the Star Plus serial Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat.
Career

Kapil Nirmal began his acting career with ETV Rajasthan's show, Ina Meena Dika, then he appeared in the television film, Roop Ki Rani. Kapil then shifted to Mumbai where he worked with Reliance Big Pictures. His first break as a lead happened with the show Shakira where he portrayed police officer ACP Abhay Singh on the Bindass channel.After which he portrayed the much loved role of Kunwar Yudhishthir in the daily Star Plus show Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat. He has participated in the season 4 of Nach Baliye 4 with Anjali Abrol and was also a part of the second season of Zara Nachke Dikha. He had a guest appearance in Tere Liye as a part of the Durga Puja celebration. He played the character of Sarjerao im Pardes Mein Mila Koi Apna. Later he went on to play the role of Surya Rana Singh in the Na Aana Is Des Laado. He was also seen in Ek Veer Ki Ardaas...Veera as Nihaal Singh, Box Cricket League as part of Ahmedabad Express and Bhootu as Vikram.

He has made an appearance in Javed Ali's music album Yaara.

Kavin Dave
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kavin Dave

Born 12 November 1984
Nationality Indian
Occupation Actor

Kavin Dave (born 12 November 1984) is an Indian film and television actor. He works in Bollywood and Gujarati films.[1] Dave made his big screen debut in the movie Mumbai Meri Jaan in 2008. This was followed by further successful films including My Name Is Khan, I Hate Luv Storys, Crook, Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi and Kick. Dave recently played the lead role in the film Bumboo. After featuring in several television commercials for popular brands including Sprite, Vodafone, Dish TV, Fortune oil, Sil jam and Center shock, he landed a series regular role in the television sitcom Rishta.com. Dave made his Tollywood debut with the Telugu film Money Money, More Money.
Kishore Pradhan
Indian film actor



Kishore Pradhan was an Indian Marathi film & theatre actor. He was known for Hindi films like Jab We Met, Lage Raho Munnabhai, McMafia and Jack Irish. Wikipedia

Born: 1 November 1936
Spouse: Shobha Pradhan (m. 1966–2019)
Education: Vasantrao Naik Government Institute Of Arts And Social Sciences


Karu Pazhaniappan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Karu Pazhanaiappan

Born 6 March 1972

Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India
Occupation Actor, director, journalist
Years active 2003–present
Spouse(s) Pia

Karuppaih Pazhaniappan, credited on-screen as Karu Pazhaniappan, is an Indian film director, actor, and television host who works in the Tamil film industry.

Biography

Pazhaniappan hails from Karaikudi. His parents are Chinna Karuppaiya and Thirumathi Naagammai, and Pazhaniappan is the eldest among their three children.

Books appealed to Pazhaniappan right from childhood. His father Chinna Karuppiah, a trader, is an ardent reader. He showed interest in reading classics of popular writers like Kannadasan, Jayakanthan, and Ashokamitran. Following the saying ‘Like father like son’, Pazhaniappan inherited this ‘love of reading’ from his father right from childhood.

Pazhaniappan's passion for reading books spread its wings to learning languages, writing, acting and elocution. His innate style of starting midway through a debate and expressing his thoughts with eloquence, charismatically grabbing the attention of the audience and keeping them spellbound, winning their applause and admiration presented him with countless trophies, certificates and accolades.

After his schooling in Madurai Seventh Day Adventist, Pazhaniappan studied English Literature in the renowned American College, Madurai (undergrad) and mastered in Literature in Madurai Thiyagaraja College. His intense pursuit of Tamil literature secured him the covetable student training course in Vikatan Group of Magazines.

Pazhaniappan sustained reading and movie-watching with zest and zeal created an affiliation to cinema within himself, thus inspiring his first toddler steps into Kollywood in 1994. Though he is acclaimed as director Parthiban's protĆ©gĆ©, Pazhaniappan worked under two other directors. With Parthiban, he worked in Pullakuttikaran and Housefull. His grey cells contributed to director Dharani's stories that did not get transformed into films in the sandwiched time frame between the latter's films Edhirum Pudhirum and Dhill. He worked under director Ezhil in Thulladha Manamum Thullum, Pennin Manathai Thottu, and Poovellam Un Vasam.
Career

Pazhaniappan's directorial debut was Parthiban Kanavu, starring Srikanth and Sneha. The film become one of the biggest hits of the year. Pazhaniappan's second film, Sivappathigaram, starring Vishal, released in 2006 and fared well at the box office. His 2008 film Pirivom Santhippom got major attention of the family audience. His fourth directorial film, Mandhira Punnagai, saw him making his debut as a hero. His second film with Srikanth called Sadhurangam, was finished in 2006 and remained unreleased for a long time. At last, the film released in 2011. Srikanth's character in the film was named after Thirupathisamy, Pazhaniappan's close friend who died in 2001. He directed the 2013 film Jannal Oram, a remake of the Malayalam film Ordinary. 2019 saw him acting in a negative role in the movie Natpe Thunai.
Unfinished projects

In 2005, Pazhaniappan began work on a film with Dhanush and Gopika titled Ashokamithran, but the film ran production troubles and was subsequently shelved.[3] He later began work on that film in 2012 with a new crew and Arulnithi in the lead role; however, after two months of shooting, the film was again cancelled. The director and actor tried to revive the project in late 2013, but were again unsuccessful. Likewise, another project, a family drama Pandiya Vamsam starring Ameer and Rajkiran, was called off soon after production started.

In 2016, Pazhaniappan spent time on pre-production for a film titled Gramophone featuring Madhavan and Rajkiran in the lead roles. Despite working on it for a year, the film failed to materialise owing to Madhavan's busy schedule. In September 2017, he announced his next film would be a political thriller film titled Pugazhenthi Enum Naan featuring Arulnithi and Bindu Madhavi.
Personal life

Pazhaniappan is married to Pia and has two children, Iniya (daughter) and Dhaya (son).

Television

YearShowlanguageNetworkNotes
2018–present Tamizha Tamizha Tamil Zee Tamizh Talk show presenter

Awards

Best Director Award

Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Director for Parthiban Kanavu – 2003
Best Story Writer Award

Tamil Nadu State Film Award Sadhurangam – 2011


Kasthuri Raja




Kasthuri Raja
Film Director


BIRTHDAY : 7 August, 1952, Theni , Tamil Nadu, India


Other Name: R. Krishnamoorthy


Other Professions: Assistant Director Film Producer Music Director

Appearance: Tamil

Short Biography

Kasthuri Raja was born on 07-08-1952 in Theni in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. He is an Indian Film Director, Assistant Director, Film Producer & Music Director who known for his work in Tamil Cinema.

Kasthuri Raja Family, Relatives and Other Relations

He is married to Vijayalakshmi and they have two sons named Selvaraghavan (film director), Dhanush (film actor) and two daughters named Karthika Devi & K. Vimala Geetha.

Karunas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

19 May 2016

President of Mukkulathor Pulipadai

Incumbent

Assumed office
2015

Personal details

Born : Karunanidhi
21 February 1970
Peravurani, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India

Spouse(s) Grace

Occupation Actor, comedian, musician, Singer ,Politician

Karunas (born 21 February 1970 as Karunanidhi Sethu) is an Indian actor, politician and former comedian in the Tamil film industry. Appearing mostly in supporting roles, he has also played lead roles in films including Dindigul Sarathy (2008) and Ambasamudram Ambani (2008). Apart from acting, Karunas has also been credited in films as a producer, music composer and a singer, while he continues to serve as the Vice-President of the Nadigar Sangam, after being elected in October 2015.

Early life

Karunas was born in Kuruvikkarambai, a village in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. He did his schooling at Palangudi Bharathi School and later studied at Nandanam Arts, Presidency College. Karunas began his career as pop singer and dancer, working extensively on Tamil folk music. He then gradually appeared in films as a comedian.

Film career

Karunas began work as a gaana singer aged 12, earning the moniker "Gaana" Karunas, and made his television debut through Yuhi Sethu's Naiyaandi Darbar show in the late 1990s as a musician. Director Bala heard one of his songs and subsequently signed Karunas on for an acting role in his second directorial venture, the drama film Nandha (2001). He was cast as the comedian and his role as 'Lodukku' Pandi won him critical acclaim, prompting him to accept further film offers. He subsequently went on to appear in notable films including Baba (2002), Pithamagan (2003), Vasool Raja MBBS (2004) and Polladhavan (2007) in supporting comedy roles. Karunas has also distributed two films, Pori (2007) and Kattradhu Thamizh (2007), but the failure of both films has prompted him to stay away from distributing any further ventures.

Karunas first appeared in the lead role in the comedy drama, Dindigul Sarathy (2008), portraying an insecure man with an inferiority complex. With heavy promotions by Sun Pictures, the film became a surprise success at the box office and prompted Karunas to appear in further lead roles in the comedy films Ambasamudram Ambani (2010), Chandhamama (2013), Ragalaipuram (2013) and Lodukku Pandi (2015). In between the films, he also essayed serious performances, and was briefly involved in the making of Thanga Meengal (2013) before it underwent a change of cast, while he won acclaim for his role in Santosh Sivan's war drama film, Ceylon (2014). His films as the lead hero, gradually had lower key promotions than the previous ones, and in 2015, Karunas announced he would not appear in any further lead roles] He subsequently made a return to starring supporting roles thereafter, winning critical acclaim for his performance of a suicidal man in Darling (2015) and as a villager in Komban (2015), which became his hundredth film. He subsequently changed his mind about not appearing in leading roles, and began work on the sequel to Dindigul Sarathy in September 2016.

Political life

He is the leader of "Mukkulathor PuliPadai", a state political party. He contested for the Tamil Nadu State Legislative Assembly from Thiruvadanai in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election 2016 with AIADMK's Twin Leaf (Irratai Ilai) as his election symbol. He won it with a margin of over 10,000 votes.

On 25 February 2017, an unidentified person threw footwear at Karunas' car while out to garland a statue of freedom fighter U. Muthuramalingam Thevar. It is believed that the incident could be connected to his support of AIADMK leader V. K. Sasikala.
Personal life

Karunas is married to Grace, a playback singer in the Tamil film industry. The pair had met when Karunas was the guest judge at an inter-collegiate singing competition, and after being impressed, Karunas asked her to sing in his personal music album.

The couple have a daughter and a son named Ken Karunas who is a child artist in the movie industry, making his debut in Nedunchaalai.


Karthik Raja


Karthik Raja

Birthday 29 Jun 1973

Biography

Karthik Raja is one of the youngest film music composers from the Chennai film industry in Tamil Nadu, South India. He is the eldest son of the famous composer Ilayaraaja. He made his debut as a music composer in the Tamil movie, Alexander. He has worked with renowned Indian filmakers and producers including Amitabh Bachchan, Mani Ratnam, Jackie...

Karthik Raja is one of the youngest film music composers from the Chennai film industry in Tamil Nadu, South India. He is the eldest son of the famous composer Ilayaraaja.

He made his debut as a music composer in the Tamil movie, Alexander. He has worked with renowned Indian filmakers and producers including Amitabh Bachchan, Mani Ratnam, Jackie Shroff, Ajay Devgan, amongst others.

He graduated from the Prestigious St. Bede's School in Chennai.

Kanjibhai Rathod
Director since at least 1921. Indeed, he is widely accepted as the first successful director in Indian cinema. So successful was he that Rathod directed five of the 17 talkies made in 1931. In all he directed at least 76 films. Native village: Maroli, in south Gujarat. Made patriotic, Hindu mythological and detective films. Acted in "Shakuntala" (1920).



Kalabhavan Mani
(Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu films):



Actor

Kalabhavan Mani (born 1 January 1971) is a South Indian actor and singer. He began his career in Malayalam film industry, later he became a busy artist in Tamil and Telugu industry, especially in villain roles. Although he began his career as a comedian, Mani proved his versatility roles such as serious actor, heroic and villain. He has acted in a number of Malayalam and Tamil films. He proved his acting talent in Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum, in which he plays a blind street singer.he got National film awards and Kerala state film award in 1999 for Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum

Born: January 1, 1971 in Chalakudy, Kerala, India

Died: March 6, 2016 (age 45) in Kochi, Kerala, India

In 1999 he won the National Film Award and Kerala state film award for Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum.
Keanu Reeves
"Keanu" redirects here. For other uses, see Keanu (disambiguation).

Keanu Reeves
Reeves in 2019
Born
Keanu Charles Reeves
September 2, 1964 

Nationality Canadian
Occupation Actor
Years active 1984–present

Works Full list
Partner(s) Jennifer Syme (1998–2000)
Alexandra Grant (c. 2018–present)
Awards Full list

Keanu Charles Reeves (/kiĖˆÉ‘ĖnuĖ/ kee-AH-noo; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor. Born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, Reeves began acting in theatre productions and in television films before making his feature film debut in Youngblood (1986). He had his breakthrough role in the science fiction comedy Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989), and he later reprised his role in its sequels. He gained praise for playing a hustler in the independent drama My Own Private Idaho (1991), and established himself as an action hero with leading roles in Point Break (1991) and Speed (1994).

Following several box office failures, Reeves's performance in the horror film The Devil's Advocate (1997) was well received. Greater stardom came for playing Neo in the science fiction series The Matrix, beginning in 1999. He played John Constantine in Constantine (2005) and starred in the romantic drama The Lake House (2006), the science fiction thriller The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008), and the crime thriller Street Kings (2008). Following a setback, Reeves made a comeback by playing the titular assassin in the John Wick film series, beginning in 2014.

In addition to acting, Reeves has directed the film Man of Tai Chi (2013). He has played bass guitar for the band Dogstar and pursued other endeavours such as writing and philanthropy.

Early life

Keanu Charles Reeves was born in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 2, 1964, the son of Patricia (nĆ©e Taylor), a costume designer and performer, and Samuel Nowlin Reeves Jr. His mother is English, originating from Essex His father is from Hawaii, and is of Native Hawaiian, Chinese, English, Irish and Portuguese descent. His grandmother is Chinese Hawaiian His mother was working in Beirut when she met his father, who abandoned his wife and family when Reeves was three years old. Reeves last met his father on the island of Kauai when he was 13.

After his parents divorced in 1966, his mother moved the family to Sydney, Australia, and then to New York City, where she married Paul Aaron, a Broadway and Hollywood director, in 1970. The couple moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and divorced in 1971. When Reeves was nine, he took part in a theatre production of Damn Yankees. Aaron remained close to Reeves, offering him advice and recommending him a job at the Hedgerow Theater in Pennsylvania. Reeves' mother married Robert Miller, a rock music promoter, in 1976; the couple divorced in 1980. She subsequently married her fourth husband, a hairdresser named Jack Bond; the marriage lasted until 1994. Reeves and his sisters grew up primarily in the Yorkville neighbourhood of Toronto, with a nanny caring for them frequently. Because of his grandmother's ethnicity, he grew up with Chinese art, furniture, and cuisine. Reeves watched British comedy shows such as The Two Ronnies, and his mother imparted English manners that he has maintained into adulthood.

Describing himself as a "private kid", Reeves attended four different high schools, including the Etobicoke School of the Arts, from which he was expelled. Reeves said he was expelled because he was "just a little too rambunctious and shot my mouth off once too often... I was not generally the most well-oiled machine in the school". At De La Salle College, he was a successful ice hockey goalkeeper. Reeves had aspirations to become a professional ice hockey player for the Canadian Olympic team but decided to become an actor when he was 15. After leaving De La Salle College, he attended Avondale Secondary Alternative School, which allowed him to get an education while working as an actor. He dropped out of high school when he was 17. He obtained a green card through his American stepfather and moved to Los Angeles three years later. Reeves holds Canadian citizenship by naturalization.

Career

1984–1990: Early work

In 1984, Reeves was a correspondent for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) youth television program Going Great. That same year, he made his acting debut in an episode of the television series, called Hangin' In. In 1985, he played Mercutio in a stage production of Romeo and Juliet at the Leah Posluns Theatre in North York, Ontario. He made further appearances on stage, including Brad Fraser's cult hit Wolfboy in Toronto. He also appeared in a Coca-Cola commercial, and in 1985, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) coming-of-age, short film One Step Away.

Reeves made a foray into television films in 1986, including NBC's Babes in Toyland, Act of Vengeance and Brotherhood of Justice. He made his first motion picture appearances in Peter Markle's Youngblood (1986), in which he played a goalkeeper, and in the low-budget romantic drama, Flying. He was cast as Matt in River's Edge, a crime drama about a group of high school friends dealing with a murder case, loosely based on the 1981 murder of Marcy Renee Conrad. The film premiered in 1986 at the Toronto International Film Festival to a largely positive response. Janet Maslin of The New York Times describes the performances of the young cast as "natural and credible", with Reeves being described as "affecting and sympathetic".

Towards the end of the 1980s, Reeves starred in several dramas aimed at teen audiences, including as the lead in The Night Before (1988), a comedy starring opposite Lori Loughlin, The Prince of Pennsylvania (1988) and Permanent Record (1988). Although the latter received mixed reviews, Variety magazine praised Reeves' performance, "which opens up nicely as the drama progresses". His other acting efforts included a supporting role in Dangerous Liaisons (1988), which earned seven nominations at the 61st Academy Awards, winning three: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, and Best Production Design. This was followed by Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989), in which he portrays a slacker who travels through time with a friend (portrayed by Alex Winter), to assemble historical figures for a school presentation. The film was generally well received by critics and grossed $40.5 million at the worldwide box office. Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 79% approval rating with the critical consensus: "Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are just charming, goofy, and silly enough to make this fluffy time-travel Adventure work".

In 1989, Reeves starred in the comedy-drama Parenthood directed by Ron Howard. Nick Hilditch of the BBC gave the film three out of five stars, calling it a "feelgood movie" with an "extensive and entertaining ensemble cast". In 1990, Reeves gave two acting performances; he portrayed an incompetent hitman in the black comedy I Love You to Death, and played Martin, a radio station employee in the comedy Tune in Tomorrow. He also appeared in Paula Abdul's music video for Rush Rush which featured a Rebel Without a Cause motif, with him in the James Dean role.

1991–1994: Breakthrough with adult roles

In 1991, Reeves starred in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, a sequel to Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, with his co-star Alex Winter. Michael Wilmington of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the sequel was "more imaginative, more opulent, wilder and freer, more excitingly visualized", praising the actors for their "fuller" performances. Film critic Roger Ebert thought it was "a riot of visual invention and weird humor that works on its chosen sub-moronic level [...] It's the kind of movie where you start out snickering in spite of yourself, and end up actually admiring the originality that went into creating this hallucinatory slapstick". The rest of 1991 marked a significant transition for Reeves' career as he undertook adult roles. Co-starring with River Phoenix as a street hustler in the adventure My Own Private Idaho, the characters embark on a journey of personal discovery. The story was written by Gus Van Sant, and is loosely based on Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, and Henry V. The film premiered at the 48th Venice International Film Festival, followed by a theatrical release in the United States on September 29, 1991. The film earned $6.4 million at the box office. My Own Private Idaho was positively received, with Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly describing the film as "a postmodern road movie with a mood of free-floating, trance-like despair [...] a rich, audacious experience". The New York Times complimented Reeves and Phoenix for their insightful performances.

Reeves starred alongside Patrick Swayze, Lori Petty and Gary Busey in the action thriller Point Break (1991), directed by Kathryn Bigelow. He plays an undercover FBI agent tasked with investigating the identities of a group of bank robbers. To prepare for the film, Reeves and his co-stars took surfing lessons with professional surfer Dennis Jarvis in Hawaii; Reeves had never surfed before. Upon its release, Point Break was generally well-received, and a commercial success, earning $83.5 million at the box office. Reeves' performance was praised by The New York Times for "considerable discipline and range", adding, "He moves easily between the buttoned-down demeanor that suits a police procedural story and the loose-jointed manner of his comic roles". Writing for The Washington Post, Hal Hinson called Reeves the "perfect choice" and praised the surfing scenes, but opined that "the filmmakers have their characters make the most ludicrously illogical choices imaginable". At the 1992 MTV Movie Awards, Reeves won the Most Desirable Male award.

In 1991, Reeves developed an interest in a music career; he formed an alternative rock band called Dogstar, consisting of members Robert Mailhouse, Gregg Miller and Bret Domrose. Reeves played the bass guitar. A year later, he played Jonathan Harker in Francis Ford Coppola's Gothic horror Bram Stoker's Dracula, based on Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula. Starring alongside Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder and Anthony Hopkins, the film was critically and commercially successful. It grossed $215.8 million worldwide. For his role, Reeves was required to speak with an English accent, which drew some ridicule; "Overly posh and entirely ridiculous, Reeves's performance is as painful as it is hilarious", wrote Limara Salt of Virgin Media. In a retrospective interview in 2015, director Coppola said, "[Reeves] tried so hard [...] He wanted to do it perfectly and in trying to do it perfectly it came off as stilted". Bram Stoker's Dracula was nominated for four Academy Awards, winning three in Best Costume Design, Best Sound Editing and Best Makeup. The film also received four nominations at the British Academy Film Awards.

In 1993, he had a role in Much Ado About Nothing, based on Shakespeare's play of the same title. The film received positive reviews, although Reeves was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor. The New Republic magazine thought his casting was "unfortunate" because of his amateur performance. In that same year, he starred in two more drama films, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues and Little Buddha, both of which garnered a mixed-to-negative reception. The Independent critic gave Little Buddha a mixed review but opined that Reeves' part as a prince was "credible". The film also left an impression on Reeves; he later said, "When I played this innocent prince who starts to suspect something when he has the first revelations about old age, sickness and death, it hit me. [...] That lesson has never left me."

He starred in the action thriller Speed (1994) alongside Sandra Bullock and Dennis Hopper. He plays police officer Jack Traven, who must prevent a bus from exploding by keeping its speed above 50 mph. Speed was the directorial debut of Dutch director Jan de Bont. Several actors were considered for the lead role, but Reeves was chosen because Bont was impressed with his Point Break performance. To look the part, Reeves shaved all his hair off and spent two months in the gym to gain muscle mass. During production, Reeves' friend River Phoenix (and co-star in My Own Private Idaho) died, resulting in adjustments to the filming schedule to allow him to mourn. Speed was released on June 10 to a critically acclaimed response. Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune lauded Reeves, calling him "absolutely charismatic [...] giving a performance juiced with joy as he jumps through elevator shafts [...] and atop a subway train". David Ansen, writing for Newsweek, summarized Speed as, "Relentless without being overbearing, this is one likely blockbuster that doesn't feel too big for its britches. It's a friendly juggernaut". The film grossed $350 million from a $30 million budget and won two Academy Awards in 1995 – Best Sound Editing and Best Sound.

1995–1998: Continued acting efforts

I do love it [Shakespeare]. It's like this kind of code that once you start to inhabit it with breath and sound and feeling and thought, it is the most powerful and consuming and freeing at the same time. Just, literally, elemental in sound, consonants and vowels. What I found out in doing it [Hamlet] was that it brought up for me all the anger that was inside me for my mother. I mean, it surprised me, just what was there, and I hadn't seen that before.

—Reeves on his Hamlet performance

Following Speed, Reeves' next leading role came in 1995, in the cyberpunk action thriller Johnny Mnemonic. It is based on the story of the same title by William Gibson, about a man who has had a cybernetic brain implant. As part of the film studio's marketing efforts, a CD-ROM video game was also released. The film received mainly negative reviews and critics felt Reeves was "woefully miscast". He next appeared in the romantic drama A Walk in the Clouds (1995), which also garnered mixed-to-negative reviews.[66] Reeves plays a young soldier returning home from World War II, trying to settle down with a woman he married impulsively just before he enlisted. Film critic Mick LaSalle opined that "A Walk in the Clouds is for the most part a beautiful, well-acted and emotionally rich picture", whereas Hal Hinson from The Washington Post said, "The film has the syrupy, Kodak magic-moment look of a Bo Derek movie, and pretty much the same level of substance".

Besides film work, Reeves retreated briefly to the theatre playing Prince Hamlet in a 1995 Manitoba Theatre Centre production of Hamlet in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Sunday Times critic Roger Lewis believed his performance, writing he "quite embodied the innocence, the splendid fury, the animal grace of the leaps and bounds, the emotional violence, that form the Prince of Denmark ... He is one of the top three Hamlets I have seen, for a simple reason: he is Hamlet".

Reeves was soon drawn to science fiction roles, appearing in Chain Reaction (1996) with co-stars Morgan Freeman, Rachel Weisz, Fred Ward, Kevin Dunn and Brian Cox. He plays a researcher of a green energy project, who has to go on the run when he is framed for murder. Chain Reaction was not a critical success and gained mostly a negative reaction; review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave it a rating of 16% and described it as "a man-on-the-run thriller that mostly sticks to generic formula". Reeves' film choices after Chain Reaction were also critical disappointments. He starred in the independent crime comedy Feeling Minnesota (1996), with Vincent D'Onofrio and Cameron Diaz, which was described as "shoddily assembled, and fundamentally miscast" by Rotten Tomatoes. In that year, he turned down an offer to star in Speed 2: Cruise Control, despite being offered a salary of $12 million. According to Reeves, this decision caused 20th Century Fox to sever ties with him for a decade.

Instead, Reeves toured with his band Dogstar, and appeared in the drama The Last Time I Committed Suicide (1997), based on a 1950 letter written by Neal Cassady to Jack Kerouac. Reeves' performance gained mixed reviews; Paul Tatara of CNN called him "void of talent [...] here he is again, reciting his lines as if they're non-related words strung together as a memory exercise", whereas Empire magazine thought "Reeves gives the nearest thing to a performance in his career as the enthusiastic feckless drunk". He starred in the 1997 supernatural horror The Devil's Advocate alongside Al Pacino and Charlize Theron; Reeves agreed to a pay cut of several million dollars so that the film studio could afford to hire Pacino. Based on Andrew Neiderman's novel of the same title, the feature is about a successful young lawyer invited to New York City to work for a major firm, who discovers the owner of the firm is a devil. The Devil's Advocate attracted positive reviews from critics. Film critic James Berardinelli called the film "highly enjoyable" and wrote, "There are times when Reeves lacks the subtlety that would have made this a more multi-layered portrayal, but it's nevertheless a solid job".

1999–2004: Stardom with The Matrix franchise and comedies
Reeves promoting The Day the Earth Stood Still in Mexico, 2008

In 1999, Reeves starred in the critically acclaimed science fiction film The Matrix, the first instalment in what would become The Matrix franchise. Reeves portrays computer programmer Thomas Anderson, a hacker using the alias "Neo", who discovers humanity is trapped inside a simulated reality created by intelligent machines. Written and directed by the Wachowskis, Reeves had to prepare by reading Kevin Kelly's Out of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems, and the Economic World, and Dylan Evans's ideas on evolutionary psychology. The principal cast underwent months of intense training with martial arts choreographer Yuen Woo-ping to prepare for the fight scenes.The Matrix proved to be a box office success; several critics considered it to be one of the best science fiction films of all time. Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times felt it was a "wildly cinematic futuristic thriller that is determined to overpower the imagination", despite perceiving weaknesses in the film's dialogue. Janet Maslin of The New York Times credited Reeves for being a "strikingly chic Prada model of an action hero", and thought the martial arts stunts were the film's strongest feature. The Matrix received Academy Awards for Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound.

After the success of The Matrix, Reeves avoided another blockbuster in favour of a lighthearted sports comedy, The Replacements (2000). He agreed to a pay cut to enable Gene Hackman to co-star in the film. Against his wishes, Reeves starred in the thriller The Watcher (2000), playing a serial killer who stalks a retired FBI agent. He said that a friend forged his signature on a contract, which he could not prove; he appeared in the film to avoid legal action. Upon its release, the film was critically panned. That year, he had a supporting role in another thriller, Sam Raimi's The Gift, a story about a woman (played by Cate Blanchett) with extrasensory perception asked to help find a young woman who disappeared. The film grossed $44 million worldwide. Film critic Paul Clinton of CNN thought the film was fairly compelling, saying of Reeves' acting: "[Raimi] managed to get a performance out of Reeves that only occasionally sounds like he's reading his lines from the back of a cereal box."

In 2001, Reeves continued to explore and accept roles in a diverse range of genres. The first was a romantic drama, Sweet November, a remake of the 1968 film of the same name. This was his second collaboration with Charlize Theron; the film was met with a generally negative reception. Desson Thompson of The Washington Post criticized it for its "syrupy cliches, greeting-card wisdom and over-the-top tragicomedy", but commended Reeves for his likability factor in every performance he gives. Hardball (2001) marked Reeves' attempt in another sports comedy. Directed by Brian Robbins, it is based on the book Hardball: A Season in the Projects by Daniel Coyle. Reeves plays Conor O'Neill, a troubled young man who agrees to coach a Little League team from the Cabrini Green housing project in Chicago as a condition of obtaining a loan. Film critic Roger Ebert took note of the film's desire to tackle difficult subjects and baseball coaching, but felt it lacked depth, and Reeves' performance was "glum and distant".

By 2002, his professional music career had come to an end when Dogstar disbanded. The band had released two albums during their decade together; Our Little Visionary in 1996 and Happy Ending in 2000. Sometime afterwards, Reeves performed in the band Becky for a year, founded by Dogstar band-mate Rob Mailhouse, but quit in 2005, citing a lack of interest in a serious music career. After being absent from the screen in 2002, Reeves returned to The Matrix sequels in 2003 with The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, released in May and November, respectively. Principal photography for both films was completed back-to-back, primarily at Fox Studios in Australia. The Matrix Reloaded garnered mostly favourable reviews; John Powers of LA Weekly praised the "dazzling pyrotechnics" but was critical of certain machine-like action scenes. Of Reeves' acting, Powers thought it was somewhat "wooden" but felt he has the ability to "exude a charmed aura". Andrew Walker, writing for the Evening Standard, praised the cinematography ("visually it gives full value as a virtuoso workout for your senses") but he was less taken by the film's "dime-store philosophy".The film grossed $739 million worldwide.

The Matrix Revolutions, the third instalment, was met with mixed reception. According to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the consensus was that "characters and ideas take a back seat to the special effects". Paul Clinton, writing for CNN, praised the special effects but felt Reeves' character was unfocused. In contrast, the San Francisco Chronicle's Carla Meyer was highly critical of the special effects, writing, "[The Wachowskis] computer-generated imagery goes from dazzling to deadening in action scenes that favor heavy, clanking weaponry over the martial-arts moves that thrilled viewers of The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded." Nevertheless, the film grossed a healthy $427 million worldwide, although less than the two previous films. Something's Gotta Give, a romantic comedy, was Reeves' last release of 2003. He co-starred with Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton, and played Dr. Julian Mercer in the film. Something's Gotta Give received generally favourable reviews.

2005–2013: Thrillers, documentaries and directorial debut
Reeves at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2009

In 2005, Reeves played the titular role in Constantine, an occult detective film, about a man who has the ability to perceive and communicate with half-angels and half-demons. The film was a respectable box office hit, grossing $230 million worldwide from a $100 million budget but attracted mixed-to-positive reviews. The Sydney Morning Herald's critic wrote that "Constantine isn't bad, but it doesn't deserve any imposing adjectives. It's occasionally cheesy, sometimes enjoyable, intermittently scary, and constantly spiked with celestial blatherskite". He next appeared in Thumbsucker, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005. A comedy adapted from the 1999 Walter Kirn novel of the same title, the story follows a boy with a thumb-sucking problem. Reeves and the rest of the cast garnered positive critical reviews, with The Washington Post describing it as "a gently stirring symphony about emotional transition filled with lovely musical passages and softly nuanced performances".

Reeves appeared in the Richard Linklater-directed animated science fiction thriller A Scanner Darkly, which premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. Reeves played Bob Arctor/Fred, an undercover agent in a futuristic dystopia under high-tech police surveillance. Based on the novel of the same title by Philip K. Dick, the film was a box office failure. However, the film attracted generally favourable reviews; Paul Arendt of the BBC thought the film was "beautiful to watch", but Reeves was outshone by his co-star Robert Downey Jr. His next role was Alex Wyler in The Lake House (2006), a romantic drama adaptation of the South Korean film Il Mare (2000), which reunited him with Sandra Bullock. Despite its box office success, Mark Kermode of The Guardian was highly critical, writing "this syrup-drenched supernatural whimsy achieves stupidity at a genuinely international level [...] The last time Bullock and Reeves were together on screen the result was Speed. This should have been entitled Stop". Towards the end of 2006, he co-narrated The Great Warming with Alanis Morissette, a documentary about climate change mitigation.

Next in 2008, Reeves collaborated with director David Ayer on the crime thriller Street Kings. He played an undercover policeman who must clear his name after the death of another officer. Released on April 11, the film grossed a moderate $66 million worldwide. The film's plot and Reeves' performance, however, were met with mostly unenthusiastic reviews. Paul Byrnes of The Sydney Morning Herald stated, "It's full of twists and turns, a dead body in every reel, but it's not difficult to work out who's betraying whom, and that's just not good enough". The Guardian opined that "Reeves is fundamentally blank and uninteresting". Reeves starred in another science fiction film, The Day the Earth Stood Still, a loose adaptation of the 1951 film of the same name. He portrayed Klaatu, an alien sent from outer space to try to change human behaviour or eradicate humans because of their environmental impact. At the 2009 Razzie Awards, the film was nominated for Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel. Many critics were unimpressed with the heavy use of special effects; The Telegraph credited Reeves' ability to engage the audience, but thought the cinematography was abysmal and the "sub-Al-Gore environment lecture leaves you light-headed with tedium".
Tiger Chen and Reeves at the Fantastic Fest film festival, 2013

Rebecca Miller's The Private Lives of Pippa Lee was Reeves' sole release of 2009, which premiered at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival. The romantic comedy and its ensemble received an amicable review from The Telegraph's David Gritten; "Miller's film is a triumph. Uniformly well acted, it boasts a psychologically knowing script, clearly written by a smart, assertive human". In 2010, he starred in another romantic comedy, Henry's Crime, about a man who is released from prison for a crime he did not commit, but then targets the same bank with his former cellmate. The film was not a box office hit. Reeves' only work in 2011 was an adult picture book titled Ode to Happiness, which he wrote, complemented by Alexandra Grant's illustrations. Reeves co-produced and appeared in a 2012 documentary, Side by Side. He interviewed filmmakers including James Cameron, Martin Scorsese, and Christopher Nolan; the feature investigated digital and photochemical film creation. Next, Reeves starred in Generation Um... (2012), an independent drama which was critically panned.

In 2013, Reeves starred in his own directorial debut, the martial arts film Man of Tai Chi. The film has multilingual dialogue and follows a young man drawn to an underground fight club, partially inspired by the life of Reeves' friend Tiger Chen. Principal photography took place in China and in Hong Kong. Reeves was also assisted by Yuen Woo-ping, the fight choreographer of The Matrix films. Man of Tai Chi premiered at the Beijing Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival, and received praise from director John Woo. A wider, warm response followed suit; Bilge Ebiri of Vulture thought the fight sequences were "beautifully assembled", and Reeves showed restraint with the editing to present the fighters' motion sequences. The Los Angeles Times wrote, "The brutally efficient shooting style Reeves employs to film master choreographer Yuen Woo-ping's breathtaking fights [...] is refreshingly grounded and old-school kinetic", while Dave McGinn of The Globe and Mail called the film "ambitious but generic". At the box office, Man of Tai Chi was a commercial disappointment, grossing only $5.5 million worldwide from a budget of $25 million. Also in 2013, Reeves played Kai in the 3D fantasy 47 Ronin, a Japanese fable about a group of rogue samurai. The film premiered in Japan but failed to gain traction with audiences; reviews were not positive, causing Universal Pictures to reduce advertising for the film elsewhere. 47 Ronin was a box office flop and was mostly poorly received.

2014–present: Resurgence with John Wick
Reeves in 2015

After this series of commercial failures, Reeves career rebounded in 2014. He played the titular role in the action thriller John Wick, directed by Chad Stahelski. In the first instalment of the John Wick franchise, Reeves plays a retired hitman seeking vengeance. He worked closely with the screenwriter to develop the story; "We all agreed on the potential of the project. I love the role, but you want the whole story, the whole ensemble to come to life", Reeves said. Filmed on location in the New York City area, the film was eventually released on October 24 in the United States. The Hollywood Reporter was impressed by the director's "confident, muscular action debut", and Reeves' "effortless" performance, which marked his return to the action genre. Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times praised Reeves' fight scenes and wrote he is "always more comfortable in roles that demand cool over hot, attitude over emotion". John Wick proved to be a box office success, grossing $86 million worldwide. Next, Reeves starred in a smaller-scale horror feature, Knock Knock (2015), a remake of the 1977 film Death Game. Described as "over-the-top destruction" by the Toronto Star, Reeves plays a father, home alone, when two young women show up and start a game of cat and mouse. His other releases in 2015 were the documentaries Deep Web, about crime on the dark web, and Mifune: The Last Samurai, about the life of a Japanese actor (Toshiro Mifune) famous for playing samurai characters. He narrated both films.

Reeves appeared in five film releases in 2016. The first was Exposed, a crime thriller about a detective who investigates his partner's death and discovers police corruption along the way. The film received negative reviews for its confused plot, and Reeves was criticized for displaying limited facial expressions. His next release, the comedy Keanu, was better received. In it he voiced the eponymous kitten. Reeves then had a minor role in The Neon Demon, a psychological horror directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. He played Hank, a lustful motel owner who appears in Jesse's (played by Elle Fanning) nightmare. In his fourth release, he played a charismatic leader of a settlement in The Bad Batch. His final release of the year was The Whole Truth, featuring Gabriel Basso, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, RenĆ©e Zellweger, and Jim Belushi. He played Richard, a defense attorney. Noel Murray of The A.V. Club described it as "moderately clever, reasonably entertaining courtroom drama", with a skilled cast but overall a "mundane" film. Reeves also appeared in Swedish Dicks, a two-season web television series.

In 2017, Reeves agreed to reprise his role for a sequel in the John Wick franchise, John Wick: Chapter 2. The story carries on from the first film and follows John Wick as he goes on the run when a bounty is placed on him. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $171.5 million worldwide, more than its predecessor. Chris Hewitt of Empire magazine praised Reeves' performance, which complemented his previous action roles (Point Break and Speed). However, Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times described the picture as "a down-and-dirty B-picture with a lustrous A-picture soul". Besides to this large-scale feature, Reeves starred in a drama, To the Bone, in which he plays a doctor helping a young woman with anorexia. It premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, followed by distribution on Netflix in July. Early reviews were positive, with praise for its non-glamorized portrayal of anorexia, although the New Statesman magazine thought it was irresponsible. 2017 also saw Reeves make cameo appearances in the films A Happening of Monumental Proportions and SPF-18.
Guillermo Amoedo and Reeves on the set of Knock Knock, in 2014

Reeves reunited with Winona Ryder in the 2018 comedy Destination Wedding, about wedding guests who develop a mutual affection for each other. They had worked together previously in Bram Stoker's Dracula, A Scanner Darkly and The Private Lives of Pippa Lee. Reeves also co-produced and starred in two thrillers. Siberia, in which he plays a diamond trader who travels to Siberia to search for his Russian partner, and Replicas, which tells the story of a neuroscientist who violates laws and bioethics to bring his family back to life after they die in a car crash. Siberia was critically panned; reviewers thought the plot was nonsensical and Reeves had little chemistry with co-star Ana Ularu.Replicas did not fare well with critics either; The A.V. Club praised Reeves' performance, but gave the film a grade D-, adding it is "garbage". It was also a box office failure, earning $9.3 million from a budget of $30 million.

Returning to the John Wick franchise, Reeves starred in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019), the third feature in the series directed by Stahelski. The film takes place immediately after the events of John Wick: Chapter 2 and features new cast members including Halle Berry. The film was another box office hit, grossing $171 million in the United States and more than $155 million internationally. The Globe and Mail's reviewer gave the film three out of four stars, praising the fight scenes, but felt there was "aesthetic overindulgence" with the cinematography. The Guardian's Cath Clarke questioned Reeves' acting; she wrote that "he keeps his face statue-still [...] three movies in, franchise bloat is beginning to set in". Reeves was nominated for Favorite Male Movie Star of 2019 in the People's Choice Awards, and the film itself was nominated for Best Contemporary Film in the Art Directors Guild Awards. Reeves then voiced Duke Caboom in 2019's Toy Story 4, the fourth instalment of Pixar's Toy Story franchise. In that same year on April 27 and 28, a film festival was held in his honour, called KeanuCon, hosted in Glasgow, Scotland. Over two days, nine of his films were screened for guests.

As early as 2008, Reeves and Alex Winter had shown enthusiasm for a third Bill & Ted film, but the project went into development limbo. Finally in 2020, Bill & Ted Face the Music, the third film in the franchise was released.[ The critic from Salon magazine was disappointed in Reeves' performance, but praised the film for its message that "music has the power to unite the world". Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a grade B, and complimented the onscreen chemistry between Reeves and Winter.  He also appeared in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run as a tumbleweed named Sage. Reeves appears as Johnny Silverhand in the video game Cyberpunk 2077.

Upcoming projects

A fourth Matrix film is set to be released in December 2021 with Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss reprising their roles. In 2019, Reeves travelled to SĆ£o Paulo to produce a Netflix series, Conquest. Details are being kept secret. Reeves will also reprise the role of John Wick in two additional sequels, to be shot back-to-back. BRZRKR is an upcoming comic written by Reeves which is set for release in 2021.

Personal life

On December 24, 1999, Reeves' girlfriend, Jennifer Syme, gave birth eight months into her pregnancy to Ava Archer Syme-Reeves, who was stillborn. The couple broke up several weeks later. On April 2, 2001, Syme was killed when her vehicle collided with three parked cars on Cahuenga Boulevard in Los Angeles. She was being treated for depression at the time, and police found prescription medication in her car.Reeves, who was scheduled to film The Matrix sequels the following spring, sought "peace and time", according to friend Bret Domrose of Dogstar.

Reeves has also previously been romantically linked to longtime friend and filmmaker Brenda Davis, whose child he is godfather to, and model-actress China Chow. In 2009, Reeves met Alexandra Grant at a dinner party; they went on to collaborate on two books together. They went public with their relationship in November 2019.

Reeves is discreet about his spiritual beliefs, saying that it is something "personal and private". When asked if he was a spiritual person, he said that he believes "in God, faith, inner faith, the self, passion, and things", and that he is "very spiritual" and "supremely bountiful". Although he does not formally practice Buddhism, the religion has left a strong impression on him, especially after filming Little Buddha. He said, "Most of the things I’ve come away with from Buddhism have been human—understanding feelings, impermanence, and trying to understand other people and where they’re coming from."

When asked on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2019 about his views on what happens after death, Reeves replied, "I know that the ones who love us will miss us."
Business and philanthropy

Reeves supports several charities and causes. In response to his sister's battle with leukemia, he founded a private cancer foundation, which aids children's hospitals and provides cancer research. In June 2020, he volunteered for Camp Rainbow Gold, an Idaho children's cancer charity. Reeves has said, "Money is the last thing I think about. I could live on what I have already made for the next few centuries". It was rumored that Reeves gave away a substantial portion, estimated to be $35–$125 million, of his earnings from The Matrix to the special effects and makeup crews. However, this has been significantly embellished; Reeves negotiated a smaller deal relinquishing his contractual right to a percentage of the sequels' profits in exchange for a more extensive special effects budget.

Reeves co-founded a production company, Company Films, with friend Stephen Hamel. An avid motorcyclist, Reeves co-founded Arch Motorcycle Company, which builds and sells custom motorcycles. In 2017, Reeves, Jessica Fleischmann, and Alexandra Grant founded book publisher, X Artists' Books (also known as XAB). He has written two books: Ode to Happiness and Shadows, both of which are collaborations with Grant; he provided the text to her photographs and art.

In the media
Reeves' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

In a 2005 article for Time magazine, Lev Grossman called Reeves "Hollywood's ultimate introvert". He has been described as a workaholic, charming and "excruciatingly shy". During the production of Constantine, director Francis Lawrence commented on his personality, calling him "hardworking" and "generous". His co-star Shia LaBeouf said, "I've worked with him for a year and a couple of months, but I don't really know him that much". Erwin Stoff of 3 Arts Entertainment has served as Reeves' agent and manager since he was 16, and produced many of his films. Stoff said Reeves "is a really private person" and keeps his distance from other people.

In 2010, an image of Reeves became an internet meme after photographs of him were published, sitting on a park bench with a sad facial expression. The images were posted on the 4chan discussion board and were soon distributed via several blogs and media outlets, leading to the "Sad Keanu" meme being spread on the internet. An unofficial holiday was created when a Facebook fan page declared June 15 as "Cheer-up Keanu Day".

Reeves' casual persona and ability to establish rapport have been observed by the public, leading him to be dubbed the "Internet's boyfriend". In March 2019, Reeves was flying into Los Angeles when the flight was diverted to Bakersfield, California. Instead of waiting for the plane's repair, he arranged for a van to take him and other passengers into the city. While filming Bill & Ted Face the Music in July 2019, Reeves and other cast members came across a house with a banner reading "You're Breathtaking" and ‘Mini Keanu’, 2 memes that had come out of Reeves' appearance at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2019 for the game Cyberpunk 2077. Reeves took time to sign the banner and talk to the family.

Reeves appeared on Forbes' annual Celebrity 100 list in 2001 and 2002, at number 36 and 49, respectively. In 2005, Reeves received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the motion picture industry. In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter calculated that Reeves had earned $250 million for The Matrix franchise, making him one of the highest-paid actors. In 2020, The New York Times ranked him at number four on its list of the 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century.

Filmography and awards

Prolific in film since 1984, Reeves' most acclaimed and highest-grossing films, according to the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, include: River's Edge (1987), Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989), My Own Private Idaho (1991), Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Speed (1994), The Matrix (1999), John Wick (2014), John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019), and Toy Story 4 (2019). Reeves' has won four MTV Movie Awards, and received two Best Actor nominations at the Saturn Awards. He was nominated twice for a People's Choice Award: Favorite Male Movie Star and Favorite Action Movie Star, for his performance in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) (Wikipedia)
K. G. Jayan



On Dec 6, 1934 the twins Jaya Vijayan were born to the couple K Gopalan Thantri and P.K.Narayaniamma in the village of Natasserykara in Kottayam district. K.G. Jayan was the elder of the two by few minutes.

1952

They were initiated into the world of music quite early in their lives. At the age of six, they started to learn Carnatic music from Raman Bhagavathar. Later, they trained under Mavelikkkara Radhakrishna Iyer. After completing their S.S.L.C ( Class X), in 1952, they continued to learn music at the famed Swathi Thirunal Music Academy at Thiruvananthapuram. K.G. Jayan passed with 1st Class From the academy.

1956

After acquiring Ganabhooshan from the academy, they performed in front of the regent Sri Chithira Thirunal. He was impressed and gave them royal recognition as certificate and sent them for higher studies in music to the Alathur brothers in Thiruchirapalli. He also bore their expenses.

1956

After his formal education in music, K.G. Jayan stated working as a music teacher in Cherthala, Kerala. However his quest to learn more and the meeting with Padmabhushan Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna became a turning point in life.

Meeting the Guru-Padmabhushan DR.M.Balamuralikrishna

1956

Padmabhushan Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna was performing at Vaikkom Mahadevar temple when the brothers duo Jaya-Vijaya were introduced to him as promising Carnatic vocalists by the great Mridangam exponent, Sri Mavelikkara Krishnankutty Nair. Balamuralikrishna accepted them as his disciples. K.G. Jayan along with K.G. Vijayan took up Gurukula vasa, the ancient Indian style of learning at the mentor's abode, for six years.

1962

After his formal training in music, K.G. Jayan served as a music teacher in a government school in Kerala. But because of his irrepressible love for music he left the job and joined with the Master in the divine journey of music. He was also actively involved in the research on Music Therapy headed by the Master.

1956

After acquiring Ganabhooshan from the academy, they performed in front of the regent Sri Chithira Thirunal. He was impressed and gave them royal recognition as certificate and sent them for higher studies in music to the Alathur brothers in Thiruchirapalli. He also bore their expenses.

1956

After his formal education in music, K.G. Jayan stated working as a music teacher in Cherthala, Kerala. However his quest to learn more and the meeting with Padmabhushan Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna became a turning point in life.

South Indian Oratorio

1962

While learning under Dr. Balamuralikrishna, K.G. Jayan was introduced to HMV Recording company and thus became actively involved in directing devotional music. He also rendered oratorio direction for films.

1968

K. G. Jayan made the debut in the Malayalam film Bhoomiyile Maalaakha (1968) produced by Thomas Pictures He went on composing songs in Malayalam. Also composed music for a few Tamil films like Shanmuhapriya, Padapooja and Pappathi. He composed music for over 30 films.

Jayavijaya's devotional song Ishtadaivamae Swamee Saranamyappa was sung by P.Leela. It went on to become popular all over India, K.G. Jayan rendered music direction to Dr. K. J. Yesudas, S.P.Balasubramaniam, Dr.Balamuralikrishna, P. Jayachandran, T.M.Soundararajan, S.Janaki, P. Susheela, Chithra, Sujatha, G.Venugopal, Unnikrishnan, Radhika Thilak and Madhu Balakrishnan.

Disciple of the great grand Maestro 

1964

Padma Vibhushan Sri Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagvathar

K.G. Jayan's musical faculty reached at its zenith of perfection while he was a disciple of Padma Vibhushan Sri.Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar. K.G. Jayan became a disciple in 1964 and practised Carnatic music for ten years under Gurukul style. He performed concerts all over India with his great guru Sri.Chembai.

The Musical Effluence

1964

Career in Film Music Direction

The musical career especially in the film world was in full swing during this period and K.G Jayan accomplished musical direction for about thirty Malayalam and Tamil film songs.

The Chennai Affinity

1962

Chennai opened new vistas for Jayavijaya. apart from singing with their guru they got ample opportunity to listen to some of the greatest names in the field of music. For about 9 years they were with Chembai, singing with him, meeting some of the music greats and all the time gaining innumerable experience. In between, Jayan tried a hand at composing music. He recorded a few songs for HMV before he ventured into film music. HMV produced his Classical LP Album accompanied by maestro Mrudanga Vidwan Palakkattu Mani Iyer, Dr.L Subramaniam in violin and E. M. Subramaniam in Ghatam. HMV also produced his Carnatic music album with the famous Thakil Vidwan Valamkaiman Shanmukha Sundaram Piilai.

In The Ocean of Music: The Ocean of Devotion

1962

Career in Film Music Direction

LORD AYYAPPA - the Dharma Sastha is his presiding deity. He has sung over 1000 songs devoted to Lord Ayyappa. The powerful songs still inspire millions of Ayyappa devotees around the world. K.G. Jayan used to render concert every year without any break on the Sabarimala Vilakku day for over the past 50 years. He has accompanied the procession of Divine Ornamental Costumes of Lord Ayyappa for over 45 years and sung on the vision of the Holy Light ( Makara Jyothi).

As a divine ordainment K.G. Jayan taught many of the musical luminaries such as Dr. K.J. Yesudas and P. Jayachandran the ragas and rhythms of Ayyappa Devotional songs.

Chembai Sangeetholsavam, Guruvayoor

1962

Career in Film Music Direction

K.G. Jayan has sung with Chembai for eight years in concerts on the auspicious occasion of ekadesi at Guruvayur Temple. And later became one of the main organisers and singers of the annual Music Festival named after Chembai.

K.G. Jayan wrote a musical biography of his great grand guru Padmavibhushan Chembai jointly by his brother late Sri K.G.Vijayan entitled Chembai: Sangeethavum Jeevithavum .

http://www.jayavijaya.in/timeline
Karthik Raj

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Karthik Raj
Born 21st January, 1988

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Occupation Actor
Years active 2011-present

Karthik Raj is an Indian film/ Television actor. He is one of the leading actors in the Tamil Television Industry.

He got introduced to the telly audience through 'Kana Kaanum Kaalangal- Kalooriyin Kadhai'-K5 serial (2011-2012) where he played the lead role of Karthikeyan in STAR Vijay and he continued working in STAR Vijay in the lead role for Office series (2013-2015) alongside Shruthi Raj.

He has participated in Jodi Number One Season 7 with Nancy Jennifer on STAR Vijay.

He has acted as a lead actor in the movies 465 and Naalu Peruku Nalladhun Edhuvum Thappilla. His acting was well appreciated in both the movies, despite the films not doing so well at the box office.

Since 2017, Karthikraj essayed the role of Adithyaa in super-hit Tamil daily soap Sembaruthi alongside actress Priya Raman and newcomer Shabana Shajahan. This is Karthikraj's first serial in Zee Tamil channel. Karthik has now become a house hold name and he won positive critical acclaim for his performance as Adhitya and later went on to win the "Favorite Actor Award 2018" in Zeetamil Kudumba Virudhugal 2018 with an overwhelming vote count of more than 40 Lakhs (this data was proclaimed by the channel while presenting the Award). He won the "Favorite Actor Award 2019" for the subsequent year as well . In 2020, he won the Favourite Actor Award and Best On-Screen Pair along with his co-actor Shabana Shajahan, making it a hat-trick award winning under the two categories. (This time the vote count for favorite hero was astonishingly more than half a crore nearly 65 lakhs)

In December 2020, Karthik Raj was replaced due to unforeseen reasons as quoted in the channel's official statement.

On Oct 15,2020 ZEE5 proudly announced its webseries– ‘Mugilan’ starring Karthik Raj and Ramya Pandian in lead roles & the first look of Mugilan's brand new series received massive positive responses from his fans and so does the "Mugilan Teaser" which was subsequently released on Oct 18,2020.

“Mugilan” premiered Oct 30th 2020 on ZEE5.Karthik received positive response for his performance as Mugilan. He received special appreciations for his performance as old mugilan.Mugilan won the "Most viewed Regional Original series" for the month of November by zee5.
Kalanjiyam
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kalanjiyam
Born 27 September 1971

Occupation Film director
Years active 1996–present

Mu. Kalanjiyam is an Indian film director, who has made Tamil films. A winner of Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Story Writer, Kalanjiyam has also featured in the lead role in his films.

Career

Kalanjiyam's first film Poomani (1996) featuring Murali and Devayani won commercial and critical acclaim and the director won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Story Writer for 1996. His next venture, the rural drama Kizhakkum Merkkum, starring Napoleon with Devayani also won positive reviews. A proposed film titled Sangeetha Thirunaal produced by music composer Ilaiyaraaja was planned, but did not materialise. He returned with another film, Poonthottam (1998), with the cast of his first film; but the film went unnoticed as a result of the bigger budget films which released around the same period. He then made Nilave Mugam Kaattu (1999) starring Karthik and Devayani, which became his fourth consecutive film with the actress, though the film was panned by critics who cited the director "disappoints with this well-worn tale of friends sacrificing love for friendship." Kalanjiyam later started other eventually shelved films titled Vikadan with Murali again, and Kesavan with Sarathkumar and Rambha, before going on to make the Prabhu-starrer Mitta Miraasu in 2001.

In 2002, the director resurfaced with a project titled Sathamintri Muthamidu which was set to be the launch for actor Mayur, Devayani's younger brother, and actress Anjali though the film later failed to materialize. He also began two other films with Anjali, Valiba Desam and En Kanavu Thaanadi, though those also failed to materialize. In 2010, following actress Anjali's rise to fame, she made a goodwill gesture by agreeing to be a part of a few of Kalanjiyam's future films, noting she considered him her mentor. The director returned with his next film, Karungali in 2011, which saw himself play the lead role of a drug peddler alongside an ensemble cast including Anjali, Sunitha Varma and Asmitha. The film opened to unanimously poor reviews, with a critic noting that the film was a "crude affair", citing that the "subject in question is too heavy and has been handled in an insensitive way, making the film come across as a cheap, sex thriller."The film was later dubbed and released in Telugu as Sathi Leelavathi, with the director crediting himself under the name Prabhakaran.

In 2013, it was reported that he was working on another project titled Oor Suttri Puranam with Anjali again, with the actress suffering a freak accident on the sets of the film. In a turn of events, Anjali filed charges against the film-maker noting he had been advising her step-mother on various issues and feared that she was being harassed by him. The film has since been stalled and Kalanjiyam subsequent sought an industry wide ban against the actress for failing to complete the film. In 2014, he worked as an actor in Kathiravan's Kodai Mazhai and landed in trouble for slapping actress Sri Priyanka during the making of the film, prompting her faint on location. He was involved and injured in a fatal accident in August 2014, when a car he was travelling in had toppled in Andhra Pradesh, killing a co-passenger.
Kartikey Malviya
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kartikey Malviya is an Indian child actor. He is well known for his role as Young Shani in the popular mythological soap Karmaphal Daata Shani that aired on Colors TV. Malviya was last seen in Chandragupta Maurya. He plays the role of Samba (Son of Lord Krishna) in the series RadhaKrishn.

Career

Malviya made his television debut on the show India's Best Dramebaaz. He appeared in several episodes and was the season 2 runner-up. For his performance, Malviya earned the nickname of "Mytho King" from judge Sajid Khan. On the show, Malviya portrayed mythological characters including Karna, Jatayu, and Bhagat Singh. The performances established Malviya as a well-known actor.

In April 2018, Malviya promoted India's Best Dramebaaz, when he encouraged talented children of Bhopal to audition for the show's third season.

In April 2016, Malviya began playing young Shani Dev in Indian television show Karmphaldata Shani. Initially, Malviya was signed for 20 episodes, but due to the actor's high popularity, Malviya was able to renew his contract in October 2017.

Malviya reportedly bonds well with his co-stars including his onscreen mother Juhi Parmar. Malviya has publicly proclaimed that fellow actor Tarun Khanna, is his 'Dronacharya'. Malviya has visited Lucknow, Ahmedabad, and Indore for the promotion of the show. Malviya has also promoted the show by making appearances on television show Bigg Boss 10 in character.

The show has been dubbed in many Indian languages like Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam. In Malayalam, it is dubbed in the name of Shaneeshwaran on Surya TV. In  in Colors Tamil. As a result, Malviya's popularity has grown in the whole of India especially in Kerala, Nepal, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Bangladesh. Malviya had been called to attend the Meet and Greet show in Indonesia.

Malviya portrayed the role of young Chandragupta Maurya in the historical drama series Chandragupta Maurya on Sony TV. From 2020, he is portraying the negative role of Samba, son of Lord Krishna and his wife Queen Jambavati in Star Bharat's popular show Radha Krishna.

Personal life

Malviya was born in Itarsi, India, to father Mahesh Malviya and mother Neelima Malviya. Malviya became the first runner up in India's Best Dramebaaz. His father is an ordinance factory employee in Itarsi. Kartikey also has an older sister named Nupur Malviya who made a television appearance on Zee TV's Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. For her performance, Nupur won a number of awards. For now, she is pursuing MBBS in Indore vicinity.

Malviya learned acting from his mother, who is knowledgeable in the field of Bharatnatyam. After Malviya's performance on the television show India's Best Dramebaaz, He received an acting tutor on set, which was provided by the production house. Malviya has been reportedly using online studying tools in between his shooting schedule so that he could continue with his education. He successfully passed the 10th CBSE board exam in March 2019. He has chosen to pursue the humanities stream there after.

In October 2017, Malviya had minor vocal cord surgery.

Television
2011 Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs Season 4 Contestant Singer Zee TV
2013 India's Best Dramebaaz Season 1 Contestant Actor Zee TV
2015-2016 India's Best Dramebaaz Season 2 Contestant/First Runnerup Zee TV
2016 Bigg Boss 10 Shani Dev Colors TV

Awards and honours
Awards

Malviya won several awards for his lead performance in Karmphaldata Shani. This includes an award by ABP News for completion of 13 successful years on its popular TV news show Saas Bahu Aur Saazish Telebrations.

2017 Zee Gold Awards Best Child Actor[33] Karmphaldata Shani Won

Gold Debut in a lead role Nominated
Indian Television Academy Awards Best Child Actor[ Won
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards India 2017 Best Child Entertainer on TV Nominated

Honours

In March 2018, Malviya was invited to Punjab to celebrate the holiday Shri Ram Navami, as a chief guest at Siddh Shaktipeeth Shri Devi Talab Mandir, Jalandhar.

In April 2018, Malviya visited Bhopal to promote India's Best Dramebaaz. Malviya has also attend social events, including Help A Star with actors Gautam Rode and Shreyas Talpade.

Kalluri Vaanil



The Tamil song became widely known to the English internet audience for its phonetic lyrics.
Problems playing this file? See media help.


On 18 August 2007, a music video for the song "Kalluri Vaanil", from the Indian Tamil movie Pennin Manathai Thottu was uploaded to YouTube by Mike Sutton (YouTube user Buffalax). The video was retitled Benny Lava and created as a soramimi, edited to include incorrect English subtitles that phonetically approximate the original Tamil lyrics.

Reactions to the "Kalluri Vaanil" soramimi were mixed to positive reviews. Some felt that the video was done in "good fun", while others worried that their culture was being mocked. The music video was featured on The Colbert Report on 4 December 2000 and appeared on the heavy metal documentary Global Metal.
Filmography
Honours

YearAwardsCategoryResultRef2015 Kalaimamani Award Kalaimamani award for his contribution in the field of arts Won

2019 Civilian Awards Padma Shri Award for his contribution in the field of arts Won


Awards

YearAwardsFilmsLanguageCategoryResultRef1997 National Film Award Minsara Kanavu Tamil Best Choreography Won

2004 National Film Award Lakshya Hindi Best Choreography Won

2004 Filmfare Award Lakshya Hindi Best Choreography Won

2004 Nandi Award Varsham Telugu Best Choreographer Won

2005 Filmfare Awards South Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana Telugu Best Choreography Won

2007 Vijay Awards Pokkiri Tamil Favourite Director Won

2018 Zee Cine Awards Tamil Maari 2 Tamil Best Choreography Won

Kalaikkal Kumaran
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kalaikkal Kumaran
Born
Kumaran
1919

Died 1998 Aug 8
Nationality Indian
Other names Kalaikkan
Occupation Observational comedy, Sketch comedy, Wit/Word play, activist, freedom fighter
Spouse(s) Bhargavi
Children 6 (1 deceased)

Awards
Kerala state film award for contribution to film industry in 1997

Kalaikkal Kumaran (born in 1919 at Vaikkom, Kottayam district, Kerala) was a noted Malayalam film and popular drama actor. He was well known for his comedy roles in dramas by Kalidasa Kalakendram. He acted in 65 films and more than 150 dramas. He appeared more than 15000 stages. His first drama was Kathirukanakili by Kerala theatre of Ponkunnam Varkey. Other famous dramas are Doctor, Kathirukanakili, Althara, Muthuchippi, Kadalpalam, Swantham Lekhakan, Yudhabhoomi and Samgamam, more than 150 dramas. He received many Kerala state awards, including Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship for acting in 1989. Kumaran was a member of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi. Kalaikkal Kumaran was supposed to create a record for appearing on more than 20,000 stages, but he lost his vision due to cataracts and left the field. Kalaikkal Kumaran was a staunch atheist throughout his life, and was a supporter of CPI


Personal life

He is married, the couple have six children, 1 deceased.

Children
Ramani D.
Renjini Ashokan
Sobhana C.
Mala Sukumaran (School of Drama and Fine Arts (1979-83 BTA Batch))
Shanavas (deceased)
Sheela Suguthan
Kumar Bangarappa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kumar Bangarappa

Born
Sarekoppa Vasanth Kumar
28 September 1963 
Other names Vasanth Kumar
Occupation Actor, politician
Years active 1988 - present
Political party Bharatiya Janata Party
Children Arjun Bangarappa
Lavanya Bangarappa
Parent(s)

S. Bangarappa (father)
Relatives

Madhu Bangarappa (brother)
Geetha Shivarajkumar (sister)
Shiva Rajkumar (brother-in-law)
(Also see Rajkumar family)

Constituency Soraba

Sarekoppa Vasanth Kumar (Kumar Bangarappa) (born 28 September 1963) is an Indian actor and politician from Karnataka.

Career

Kumar Bangarappa is an Indian actor in Kannada and Telugu films, known as the Action Hero of the late 80s and 90s. He is known for the action, stunts that he used to perform and his love for animals which are portrayed in his most famous movie Ashwamedha. He was the youngest member of the legislature as well as the youngest minister of Karnataka state in former Chief Minister of Karnataka S. M. Krishna's cabinet .

Personal life

Kumar Bangarappa was born on 28 September 1963 to S. Bangarappa, former Chief Minister of Karnataka and Shakuntala. He married Vidyullatha and has a son Arjun Bangarappa and a daughter Lavanya, Son Arjun has completed his civil Engineering and has been getting many offers for acting since a very young age and will be debuting in 2021.Daughter Lavanya has completed her Biomedical Engineering.

Politics

He entered politics dramatically in 1996 after a stint as a film actor donning lead roles in many Kannada films, when he was asked to contest the by-election to fill the vacancy in the Soraba constituency of Shimoga district - which his father represented from 1967 to 1994 - seven times in a row - till he got elected to the Lok Sabha, making way for his son. He was elected to Legislative Assembly of Karnataka in the Karnataka Congress Party, a regional political party founded by his father in 1994 after he was asked to resign as Chief Minister.

He was again elected from the same assembly constituency in 1999 as a Congress candidate after the merger of Karnataka Congress Party with Congress for second-term. He won as MLA from Soraba constituency on INC for third-term successively in 2004 election. He was inducted into S.M. Krishna government as minister of state for Municipal Administration (Independent Charge). Prior to that, he also worked as Minister of State for Minor Irrigation. For a few days, he resigned Indian National Congress party and joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for 20 days to revert Congress again

He lost in the 2008 election on the Congress ticket, including his brother - Madhu Bangarappa on Samajwadi Party ticket, to Hartalu Halappa from BJP.

He is now elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the Government of Karnataka for the 2018 Legislative Assembly from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he won by defeating his brother Madhu Bangarappa by a huge margin of 13,500 votes by getting 72,000 votes.

Family feud and a rift

He entered politics as a stranger from the film industry without wielding any influence, even when his father was Chief Minister; however, a rift in the family developed ahead of the 2004 elections, when his younger brother Madhu Bangarappa wanted to contest only from Soraba and not from any other constituency even when the family did not want him to upsurge a family rift, on promise father S Bangarappa had to go against the wish of people and Kumar Bangarappa taking stance for the younger son Madhu. While Kumar stayed away from politics for a few weeks thousands of people wanted him to contest and on the request of them he had to make a political decision to contest against his own brother on a congress ticket while Madhu on the BJP ticket, and retained the seat with a huge margin of 24,000 votes, it was the first time that S. Bangarappa was defeated though his own son had won.[14] At one stage, he even resigned Congress and left his minister of state portfolio to join BJP as per the directions of his father and returned to Congress soon when he felt uncomfortable in the BJP camp, bringing the family feud matters into the open public.[7] The family feud grew till Bangarappa and both his sons lost the elections, including the continuance of disturbances between both the brothers during the family ritual celebrations after the death of S. Bangarappa.
Kuthiravattam Pappu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kuthiravattam Pappu
Born
Padmadalakshan
24 December 1936

Died 25 February 2000 (aged 63)

Calicut, Kerala, India
Other names Pappu
Years active 1963 - 2000
Spouse(s) Padmini
Children Bindu Pappu, Biju Pappu, Binu Pappu
Parent(s) Panagodu Raman
Devi

Padmadalakshan, known by his stage name Kuthiravattam Pappu (24 December 1936 – 25 February 2000), was a popular Indian stage and film actor. His repertoire of acting was based on his unique style and use of the Kozhikodan[2] dialect, impeccable timing and the capability to grasp the subtle nuances of any character and mould it into his signature "Pappu style". He has acted in over a thousand Malayalam films

Early life

Pappu was born as Padmadalakshan in Feroke near Calicut (Kozhikode), Kerala, as the son of Panaghat Raman and Devi. The family moved to the village of Kuthiravattam (Half a kilometre from Govindapuram, Calicut) when Pappu was still a child. He was keen in acting since childhood and performed his first major stage performance when he was 17. At that time he was studying in St. Antony's School, Calicut.

Family

He was married to Padmini. The couple have three children, Bindu, Biju and Binu. Binu Pappu is an actor in Malayalam movies.

Career

Pappu started his career as a drama artist. He acted in about thousand instant plays and two professional dramas, Samasya and Manasu. His role in the drama Samasya fetched him the 

Best Comedian Award.

Pappu has worked with Kunjandi, Nellikode Bhaskaran, Thikkodiyan and K. T. Muhammed. Film personalities Ramu Karyat and A. Vincent were impressed by his performance in Mudiyanaya Puthran and gave him chance to act in the film Moodupadam. His first noted role was in Bhargavi Nilayam, written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer and directed by A. Vincent. The name of his character in the film given by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, "Kuthiravattam Pappu" stayed with him for the rest of his life.

His performance in Angadi, Eenadu, Moorkhan, Aalkkoottathil Thaniye, Itha Oru Theeram, Kanakkinavu was remarkable. The turning point in his career was his roles in Chembarathi, Avalude Ravukal, Angaadi. Even his brief roles like those in Manichitrathazhu and The King are well remembered till this day. His one-liners like "Taski Viliyeda" in Thenmavin Kombath and "Ippo Sariyakkitharam" and "'Thamaraseri Churam'" in Vellanakalude Nadu earned their position in the list of Malayalam idioms. His first reference about Thamarassery churam was in the movie T P Balagopalan M A.

Pappu became one of the best comedians Malayalam cinema has ever seen. He used Kozhikode slang in his acting which was well liked and appreciated. Due to his affection toward plays, with the help of his old friends in the field of theatre, he founded Akshara Theatres a few weeks before his death. He died in a private hospital in Calicut following a cardiac arrest on 25 February 2000.

KP Kumaran
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

K. P. Kumaran


K. P. Kumaran (right), IFFI (2008)

K. P. Kumaran is a Malayalam film maker. He co-authored the script of Swayamvaram directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan. Kumaran's first directorial venture was Athithi. His major films include Rugmini (winner of the 1989 National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam), Thenthulli, Laxmivijayam and Thottam. His latest film, Akasha Gopuram, is based on Henrik Ibsen's play The Master Builder.Kumaran's first directorial venture was Rock (short film), which won an international award. His first feature film was Adhithi.

Kanu Roy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kanu Roy
Born December 9, 1912
Died December 20, 1981

India
Occupation music director
Years active 1943–1983

Kanu Roy was an Indian film actor and music composer in Hindi and Bengali films. He gave music for most of Basu Bhattacharya's films.

His most famous compositions are for Geeta Dutt, such as Aaj ki Kaalighata and Uski Kahani (1966), Lyrics: Kaifi Azmi, and the songs of Geeta Dutt's last film as a singer, Anubhav (1971) – "Koi Chupke Se Aake", "Mera Dil Jo Mera Hota" and "Meri Jaan Mujhe Jaan Na Kaho". He also gave two hits to Manna Dey in Anubhav – "Phir Koi Phool Khila" and in Avishkaar – "Hansne Ki Chaah Ne Kitna Mujhe Rulaya Hai" and “Machal Ke Jab Bhi Aankhon Mein” by Bhupender Singh in Grihpravash (1979). In his early struggling years in Mumbai, he did small film roles, and gave film music whenever he got a chance. 

The Jagjit and Chitra Singh rendition of "Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Jaye" in Avishkaar (1973) is also fairly well known. His other films were not so successful, however.

Filmography

Kismet (1943) – Actor
Mahal (1949) – Actor
Jagriti (1954) – Actor
Munimji (1955) – Actor
Ham Sab Chor Hain (1956) – Actor
Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957) – Actor
Naughty Boy (1962) – Actor
Bandini (1963) – Actor
Uski Kahani (1966) – Music
Anubhav (1971) – Music
Avishkaar (1973) – Music
Tumhara Kalloo (1975) – Music
Griha Pravesh (1979) – Music
Sparsh (1980) – Music
Shyamla (1980) – Music
Kissi Se Na Kehna (1983) – Actor

K. Natraj
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
K. Natraj
Born 30 November 1949 
Occupation Director
Years active 1976–1998
2004–Present

K. Natraj is an Indian actor and director who primarily worked in Tamil-language films and serials.

Personal life

In film industry circle, he is popular as a close friend of actor Rajinikanth. His daughter, Rajini, married actor Vishnu Vishal in 2011.

Career

Producer Azhagan Thamizhmani and writer Thooyavan saw a film called Touch of Love which had Elvis Presley in a guest appearance at a film festival, both got emotional while watching the film which prompted them to attempt a similar story in Tamil. Thooyavan finished screenplay within a month. He wanted to cast the late MGR as the hero but couldn't do so. Thooyavan narrated the story to K. Natraj who was working as one of the assistant directors in Devar films. K. Natraj agreed to work on the film and Rajini accepted to act in this film. Rajini initially agreed to give callsheet of 6 days then extended for 10 days since he wanted the film to come out well. The film was entirely shot in a school with 300 students. Rajkumar Sethupathi, brother of actress Latha and husband of actress Sripriya did a small role as Ambika's husband. Meena appeared as one of the main characters. On 3 August 1984 The Hindu said, "For one making his debut as director Natraj deserves accolades for the near-to-the-heart treatment of the situations in which the performance of a six-member-group of orphans will make even elder artistes sit up" and concluded, "Babu's camera embellishes the frames". Cinemalead wrote, "Anbulla Rajinikanth made Rajini seal children's heart forever, that was the impact of the movie. The story of a child's emotional bondage with a film actor and her fighting against cancer reached out to audience very well due to Rajini's reach and Meena's acting. The film also gives us some glimpse of Rajini's lifestyle and his real life character".

K. Natraj, Rajinikanth's friend from the film institute who earlier directed Anbulla Rajinikanth was approached by Rajini to take part as an assistant director in Annamalai to which Natraj gladly accepted. Then Rajini approached his friends and announced that he would like to make a film for them. The script of "Valli" was written by Rajini himself. Priyaraman made her debut as heroine while Hariraj and Sanjay were introduced in this film. Rajini was not interested to appear in cameo appearance but with insistence of his friends he accepted to do small role and finished his portions within five days.

Shooting was started in April 1993. This was also debut film of magician Alex as actor. The filming was held at Chalakudi, Pollachi and Red Hills. Hari, director of Saamy and Singam was one of the assistants in this film.

Livingston

Birthday: 21-08-1957



Livingston is a noteworthy supporting actor and comedian of Tamil cinema. His work as a solo lead in the flick Sollamale, where he played the role of a low confident lover, got him much acclaim. Apart from acting, Livingston has also tried his luck in penning scripts. During his early stages of his career his screen name was Ranjan.

Livingston is active in the industry since 1988. Sundara Purushan, Kanni Rasi, Engalukkum Kaalam Varum and Sollamale are the works for which he is known for lead roles. He penned screenplay for Kaaki Sattai and Kanni Rasi by joining hands with G M Kumar of Avan Ivan fame. The flick Thandachoru introduced him as a music composer (he had aspired for it for a long time) and director. This movie is yet to be released. The 1988 flick Poonthotta Kaavalkaaran is the first film in which he got a starring role. Initially Livingston was into singing by perfoming star shows. He also had the aspiration of becoming an actor. Right from his childhood days Livingston was a huge fan of MGR. He worked in several shows before venturing into acting. Eventually he sang a number for the flick Moonram Powrnami and Athey Manithan. Sundara Purushan, Poomagal Oorvalam and Sollamale are the successful films of Livingston as a hero. He is in the industry for many years through his sheer patience.

The comedy of Livingston has an innocence in it. Initially Livingston was working in roles with gray shades, and supporting roles. Then only he got prominent roles. He was a fan of K Bhagyaraj’s flicks and hung around his home for almost a year. Oru Veedu Iru Vaasal and En Uyir Thozhan are landmarks in this talented actor’s career. On the personal front Livingston is married to Jacintha and is blessed with two children.

Lakshyadhar Choudhury
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lakshyadhar Choudhury
Lakhyadhar Chaudhury
Born 14 October 1914
North Guwahati, Assam, India
Died 18 August 2000
Occupation Dramatist, actor, poet and writer
Language Assamse
Nationality Indian
Citizenship Indian
Notable works Nimila Onko, Umola Ghar
Spouse Usha Choudhury
Website

Lakhyadhar Choudhury (1915–2000) was an actor, playwright, film-director, humanist, prose-writer, orator, cabinet-minister in the state of Assam, state legislator, teacher, 'freedom fighter', president of the Asam Sahitya Sabha and the Asom Natya Sanmelan.

Early life and education

Lakhyadhar Choudhury was born in Rangmahal, North Guwahati on the Dipwali night of 1915 to Bhudhar and Uma Choudhury. He was admitted to Cotton Collegiate High School in 1925. He passed his BSc examination from Cotton College, Guwahati in 1933. During his student life Lakhyadhar lodged with his uncle Sasha Choudhury of Uzan Bazar, Guwahati who was a peskar-an employee in the DC Court.

Career

He started his career as a teacher of the North Guwahati Auniati Kamaldev High School in 1939 but quit his job in 1942 to join the freedom movement launched under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. He plunged into the Quit India movement, working as a volunteer and linkman between the leaders, carrying their secret messages while posing as a salesman. Later he also went underground to avoid arrest by the police. During the movement, he came into contact with leaders like Loknayak Jai Prakash Narayan, Acharya Kripalani, Aruna Asaf Ali, Achyut Patwardhan, Ram Manohar Lohia, etc and was attracted to the socialism preached by these leaders.

Political activities

After India’s independence, Choudhury was attracted to the ideals of socialism and engaged himself in political activities through the Socialist Party. He contested the first elections of free India in 1952 as a Socialist Party candidate, but was defeated by the Congress candidate, Rohini Kumar Choudhury. In the 1957 elections to the Assam Legislative Assembly also, he contested from Kamalpur constituency without success. However, he won the Guwahati Municipal Corporation election in 1964-65. In 1967, he was elected as a member of the Assam Legislative Assembly. Others who won in the same election were Dr Bhupen Hazarika and Bishnu Prasad Rabha. These three cult figures of Assamese culture together played a distinctive role in the Assembly and created a new cultural atmosphere in the State. Always steadfast in his political beliefs, Choudhury again won in the 1977 election, immediately after the days of emergency and joined Golap Borbora ministry of Janata Party as a cabinet minister of Education and cultural affairs. After this election there was great commotion and a mass movement in the country. Lakhyadhar Choudhury proved his ability as the Mayor of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation in 1975. He was the second Mayor of the Corporation immediately after Radha Govinda Baruah.

Personal life

He married Usha at Dibrugarh in 1949. Usha served as a teacher in the Panbazar Girl’s High School, Guwahati. They have four sons and a daughter.

As an actor and a playwright

Since his student days, Choudhury earned fame as an actor. Later, he became a politician and educationist. But his real fame was as a playwright and a writer of prose. While studying in school he came into contact with dramatist Kamakhyanath Thakur and litterateur Jaltiram Lahkar and was enthused. Choudhury’s literary genius was evident through his stories and dramas. As a student of class-IX he wrote a play titled Ekalavya. His other plays are – Raksha Kumar, Ali Baba, Omala Ghar, Nimila Anka etc. In his play Thikana, he stressed the necessity of being aware of roots and traditions. His histrionic talent was expressed on stage, film, radio and television plays. From the temporary make-shift stage of Rang Mahal to the Kumar Bhaskar Natya Mandir, he traversed a long way. Choudhury, also directed films like Nimila Anka and Lachit Barpukhan. He also acted in a number of Assamese films.

As a poet and story writer

He also wrote a handful of poems includingMor Lakshya. But his fame as a litterateur rests more on his prose. His aesthetic sense and style have given a unique dimension to his stories. His stories are based on the real life of the common people, which is full of tragic-comic events. His stories created a new school of writing in Assamese literature that captured the extraordinary real life stories of ordinary people.

As a theatre actor

On the occasion of the inauguration of the new building of the theater hall, Choudhury’s drama Thikana was staged for two nights, where he played the leading role. That was on May 12 and 13, 2000. At that time, Choudhury’s age was 85 years. The theater hall was full to its capacity with spectators who went to witness Choudhury acting at the age of 85 years Soon afterwards, Choudhury fell ill and breathed his last on August 18, 2000. Always clad in dhoti and kurta made of khadi cloth, Choudhury had many noble qualities and his memory will linger on in Assamese society forever. Thus he continues to inspire the young and old alike on leading a life that is simple yet dedicated to the cause of the region, the nation and the humanity at large.
Lokesh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lokesh
Born
Madapura Subbaiah Naidu Lokanatha Naidu
19 May 1947
Died 14 October 2004
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Nationality Indian
Occupation Actor, Director and Producer
Spouse(s)
​(m. 1975)​
Parent(s) Subbaiah Naidu (father), Venkatamma (mother)

Lokesh (Kannada: ą²²ೋą²•ೇą²¶್; 19 May 1947 – 14 October 2004) was an Indian stage actor turned film actor, who appeared in Kannada feature films. His wife Girija Lokesh is a film actress and film director. His father was Subbaiah Naidu, who is credited to be first hero of Kannada silent movies.

Lokesh made his film debut in the 1958 film Bhakta Prahlada.[1] He had thrice won the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actor during his career, for Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu (1974), for Parasangada Gendethimma (1978) and for Banker Margayya (1984).

Awards

1978–79: Best Actor — Parasangada Gendethimma
1983–84: Best Actor — Banker Margayya
1974: Best Actor – Kannada — Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu

Aryabhata Film Awards

1997: Best Supporting actor — Mungarina Minchu
Lal (actor)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lal
Born
M. P. Michael
2 December 1958 
Cochin, India
Occupation
Actor
director
screenwriter
producer
distributor
Years active 1984–present
Spouse(s) Nancy Lal
Children 2, including Lal Jr.

M. P. Michael (born 2 December 1958), better known by his stage name Lal, is an Indian actor, screenwriter, film director, producer and distributor who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. He has also appeared in Tamil films and in a few Telugu films. Lal has a Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Malayalam (2008), one National Film Award – Special Mention for acting (2012) and two Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor (2008 and 2013).

Early life

Lal was born as Michael to late M. A. Paul and late Philomina, as their eldest son.His father M. A. Paul was a famous tabla player. His brother Alex Paul is a famous music composer in the Malayalam film industry and his son Jean is a movie director in the same industry.
Career[edit]

He started his career as a mimicry artist in Kalabhavan, along with his childhood friend Siddique, who would later team up as Siddique-Lal to make many films.[1] Lal and Siddique began their film career working as assistant directors to Fazil in Nokkethadhoorathu Kannum Nattu.

Siddique-Lal production had never been dependent on star value or superstar formula that was witnessed in those days in Malayalam cinema. They had always opted out from casting Mohanlal or Mammootty. Ultimately, both of them had changed their thoughts later and when their fourth production film was to get launched, Siddique-Lal had opted for Mohanlal and made Vietnam Colony (1992) which did wonders in the box office too. The duo again had combined in their fifth production and made Kabooliwala (1994), which was also a success.

After that, both decided to part ways as a director pair and Lal turned producer with the Siddique-directed Mammootty-starrer Hitler. Lal debuted in acting with a villain role as Paniyan in Suresh Gopi-starrer Kaliyattam, directed by Jayaraj. Kaliyattam was a new take on Othello, where Lal played Paniyan, the character standing for Iago. He runs a film post-production company named as Lal Media Arts, Kochi. The year 2009 saw his comeback again as a director. He directed the sequel to In Harihar Nagar named 2 Harihar Nagar, which got released and was declared a hit. For his performance in the 2012 film Ozhimuri, he won the National Film Award – Special Mention. He was the winner of two state film Awards for Best Actor in Thalappavu (2008), Ayaal (2013) and Zachariayude Garbhinikal (2013).

Lal, who also plays an important role in Karthi's Sulthan (2021) and also heaped praise on Mari Selvaraj for Karnan (2021).

Personal life

Lal is married to Nancy and they have two children—Jean Paul Lal and Monica Lal. Jean Paul is a film director.

Awards

AwardYearCategoryFilmResultNational Film Awards 2012 Special Mention for Acting Ozhimuri Won
Kerala State Film Awards 1991 Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value Godfather
2008 Best Actor Thalappavu
Filmfare Awards South 2008 Best Actor (Malayalam) Thalappavu
Vanitha Film Awards 2012 Best Star Pair (shared with Shwetha Menon Salt N' Pepper

Laxmikant Berde
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Laxmikant Berde
Born 26 October 1954

Died 16 December 2004 (aged 50)

Years active 1984–2004
Spouse(s) Roohi Berde (m. 1985; died.1998),
Priya Arun (m. 1998; his death. 2004)
Children Abhinay Berde,
Swanandi Berde
Relatives Ravindra Berde (uncle)

Laxmikant Berde (Marathi pronunciation: [ləkɕmiĖkaĖn̪t̪ beĖÉ¾É–e]; 26 October 1954 – 16 December 2004) was an Indian film actor who appeared in several Marathi and Hindi movies. He was known for his highly energetic slapstick performances. Berde started his career as an employee in the production company Marathi Sahitya Sangh and then played supporting roles in a few Marathi stage plays. In 1983-84, he first became famous with the Marathi play Tur Tur.

Apart from Marathi movies, his comedy stage plays like Shantecha Karta Chalu Aahe and Bighadale Swargache Dwaar were also successful. Berde acted in many Bollywood films and received four Nominations for Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role. He acted in around 185 Hindi and Marathi films.

Early life

Berde was born on 26 October 1954 in Bombay (Mumbai). He had five older siblings and would sell lottery tickets as a child to append to the family income. His participation in stage dramas during the cultural activities for Ganesh festival celebrations performed at Girgaon got him interested in acting. He won awards for participation in inter-school and inter-college drama competitions. Following this, Berde started working at the Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh.

Career

While working as an employee in the Marathi Sahitya Sangh, Berde started acting in small roles in Marathi stage plays. In 1983–84, he acquired his first major role in Purshottam Berde's Marathi stage play Tur Tur which became a hit and Berde's style of comedy was appreciated.

Berde made his movie debut with the 1984 Marathi movie Lek Chalali Sasarla. Subsequently, he and actor Mahesh Kothare starred together in films Dhoom Dhadaka (1984) and De Danadan (1987). Both these movies became famous and helped Berde establish his trademark comedy style.

In most movies, he starred either alongside Kothare or with actor Ashok Saraf. The Berde-Saraf pair is recognized to be a successful lead actor pairing in Indian cinema. Berde, along with Ashok Saraf, Sachin Pilgaonkar and Mahesh Kothare formed a successful quartet in Marathi films after acting together in the 1989 Marathi film Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi.

That decade will be best remembered by the Marathi film industry as the "Ashok-Lakshya" era. Both actors remained best friends until Berde died. In most movies, Berde was paired with actress and his future wife Priya Arun.

Berde's first Hindi film was Sooraj Barjatya's Maine Pyar Kiya starring Salman Khan in 1989. Some of his other popular Hindi films include Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, Mere Sapno Ki Rani, Aarzoo, Saajan, Beta, 100 Days and Anari. Berde also kept working as the lead actor in hit Marathi stage plays like Shantecha Karta Chalu Aahe and others.

In 1992, Berde tried to break away from his comedy mould and acted in a serious role in the film Ek Hota Vidushak. However, the film was not a commercial success and Berde reverted to his trademark comedy, albeit disappointed with the film's failure.

From 1985 to 2000, Berde acted in many other Marathi blockbusters such as Aamhi Doghe Raja Rani, Hamaal De Dhamaal, , Balache Baap Brahmachari, Eka Peksha Ek, Bhootacha Bhau, Thartharat, Dhadakebaaz and Zapatlela.

Berde acted in the Marathi TV serial Nasti Aafat and "Gajra"

Death

Berde died in Mumbai on 16 December 2004 due to a kidney ailment.[5] Many notable personalities from the Marathi film industry like Mahesh Kothare, Ashok Saraf and Sachin Pilgaonkar attended his funeral.

In the last years of his life, Berde ran his own production house 'Abhinay Arts', named after his son Abhinay Berde. Berde was a proficient ventriloquist and guitarist.

Loose Mohan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Loose Mohan
Born 8 February 1928

Kanchipuram,
Madras Presidency,
British India
Died 16 September 2012 (age 84)

Chennai, India
Nationality Indian
Occupation Actor
Years active 1944–2002

Arumugam Mohanasundaram (8 February 1928 – 16 September 2012), popularly known as Loose Mohan and Raja Gopalakrishnan, was a Tamil film actor who had acted as a comedian in over 1000 films. He is credited with popularizing Madras Bashai, a Cockney of Tamil language spoken in Chennai city.

Early life

Born in Kanchipuram, son of old actor "Loose Arumugam", Mohan migrated to Madras at an early age and debuted at age 16 in the 1944 film Harichandra as P. U. Chinnappa's son. However, most of his successes were in the late 1970s and 1980s when he acted as a comedian alongside stars such as Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth.
Career

He acted as servant in the movie "Kaththiruntha Kangal" 1962 film with Savithri and Gemini Ganesan. His breakthrough movie as a comedian was the 1979 film Rosapoo Ravikaikari, after which he acted in more than 1000 films, including four movies in Marathi and one each in Bhojpuri, Hindi and Tulu. In 2000, Mohan was awarded the Kalaimamani award by the Government of Tamil Nadu.

Later life and death

Mohan acted in his last film role in 2002 (Azhagi). He was forced to quit acting due to his deteriorating health. In 2009, Mohan filed a case against his son Karthik for neglecting his health. He died on 16 September 2012, aged 84, from respiratory problems.

Ma Ka Pa Anand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ma Ka Pa Anand
Born : 20 May 1986
Years active 2014—present

Ma Ka Pa Anand is an Indian actor and television presenter who has been working with Star Vijay. He has hosted Super Singer , Athu Ithu Ethu, Kings of Dance, KPY champions, Mrs. Chinnathirai, The Wall, Cinema Kaaram Coffee and Start Music. Anand previously worked for six years with Radio Mirchi in Dubai. He started his acting career with the film Vanavarayan Vallavarayan in 2014.

Television

Adhu Idhu Edhu
Cinema Kaaram Coffee (Star Vijay)
Mr and Mrs Chinnathirai(Season 1,2 and 3)
Murattu Singles
Ramar veedu
Start Music Tamil Season 3
Sound party 2.0

Filmography

YearFilmRoleNotes2014 Vanavarayan Vallavarayan Vallavarayan
2016 Navarasa Thilagam Moorthy
2016 Kadalai Manickam
2016 Atti Bava Also singer for "Dalmanduanja Gilmanja"
2017 Meesaiya Murukku Himself
2018 Panjumittai Appu 
2019 Maanik Maanik
TBA Singled Shankarum Smartphone Simranum TBA filming

Discography
Playback singer

YearFilmSongMusic composerNotes2016 Kadalai "Aayava Kaanom" Sam C. S.
2016 Atti "Dalmanja Gilmanja" Sundar C. Babu
2019 Maanik "Mama Maruku" Dharan Kumar

M.K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar
Real Name: ą®®ாą®Æą®µą®°ą®®் ą®•ிą®°ுą®·்ą®£ą®®ூą®°்ą®¤்ą®¤ி ą®¤ிą®Æாą®•ą®°ாą®œ ą®Ŗாą®•ą®µą®¤ą®°் = Mayavaram Krishnamurthy Thyagaraja Bhagavathar was born on February 3, 1909 in Mayavaram (Nagapattinam District), India. He was an actor and director, known for Ambikapathy (1937), Pudhu Vazhuvu (1957) and Pavalakkodi (1934). He died on November 1, 1959.



Considered to be one of the most successful and richest actors in Tamil cinema and it's first "super star"

Mohan  Rao

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mohan

Born: Mohan Rao
23 August 1956

Other names Kokila Mohan, Mic Mohan, Silver Jubilee Star,
Occupation Actor, producer
Years active 1977–1991
1999
2008–2016
Spouse(s) Gowri (m.1987-present)
Children Aakash (b.1989)

Mohan Rao, known mononymously as Mohan or Mic Mohan is an Indian film actor, known for his works predominantly in Tamil cinema, and a few Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam films. He is also known as "Kokila Mohan" after his debut film Kokila (1977), and "Mic" from numerous roles playing singers using microphones. In 1982, he received the Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actor for his work in Payanangal Mudivathillai.

Career

Mohan was introduced to the world of theatre by B. V. Karanth, who spotted him at a restaurant. Mohan's first stage play was praised by critics from places like Delhi. Mohan was introduced to the cinema in Kannada by Balu Mahendra in his movie Kokila in 1977 alongside Tamil actor Kamal Haasan. Kokila was a hit and Mohan was catapulted into the limelight; since release of Moodu Pani in 1980 he became one of the biggest stars of the Tamil cinema industry. Mohan was called in the industry as the 'silver jubilee hero' in the 1980s for almost all movies featuring the actor that witnessed a fantastic run.

After Kokila, Mohan starred in a Malayalam movie titled Madaalasa (1978). Furthermore, immediately after the success of the Malayalam movie, Mohan went on to sign a Telugu film titled Thoorpu Velle Railu (1979), which was a remake of the Tamil film Kizhakke Pogum Rail. The Telugu version was directed by Bapu. After that Mohan was introduced in the Tamil film Nenjathai Killathe (1980) by director Mahendran. The film ran for a year and won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. After his films began to be either silver jubilee or over 200 days most of the time. He became a big star in Payanangal Mudivathillai (1982) winning the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil.
Manoj Bharathiraja
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Manoj Bharathiraja
Born
Manoj Kumar
11 September 1976

Theni, Tamil Nadu, India
Other names Manoj Bharathiraja
Occupation Film actor
Years active 1999–2005
2013–present
Spouse(s)
​(m. 2006)​
Children 2
Parent(s) Bharathiraja
Chandraleela


Manoj K. Bharathi (born 11 September 1976 as Manoj Bharathiraja) is an Indian actor. He is most noted as the son of director Bharathiraja. Manoj made his acting debut with Taj Mahal in 1999. He has been the part of few Tamil movies like Samudhiram (2001), Kadal Pookkal (2001), Varushamellam Vasantham (2002), Pallavan (2003), Eera Nilam (2003), Annakodi (2013) and Baby (2015).

Before becoming an actor in the Tamil film industry, Manoj worked as an assistant director. He worked as an assistant to his father in films such as Bommalattam (2008).

Career

Before becoming an actor in the Tamil film industry, Manoj worked as an assistant actor. He studied theatre arts at the University of South Florida.

He made his acting debut in the 1999 Tamil film Taj Mahal, directed by his father, with himself alongside Riya Sen, who was making her debut as well. Subsequently, Manoj appeared in films such as Samuthiram, alongside Sarath Kumar and Murali and in Kadal Pookkal, directed by his father, sharing screen space with Murali once again. The latter became a box office failure, But received much critical acclaim for which Bharathiraja was awarded the National Film Award for Best Screenplay. He then enacted the lead role in Saran's Alli Arjuna, alongside Richa Pallod, before starring in the low budget productions Varushamellam Vasantham and Pallavan, which failed to achieve commercial success. Later, he starred in Sathyaraj's Maha Nadigan in a cameo role and did a negative role in the Telugu film Lemon.

He worked as an assistant to his father in films such as Bommalattam and noted filmmaker Mani Ratnam in Bombay. From 2008 til 2010, he worked as an assistant to director S. Shankar in his magnum opus Enthiran. Since 2007, it has been reported that Manoj was set to remake his father's Sigappu Rojakkal, but the film still remains in pre-production. In 2012, his father signed him up to replace Ameer in his production Annakodiyum Kodiveeranum, as an antagonist, thus marking a return to films after a seven-year sabbatical.

Personal life

On 19 November 2006, Manoj married his longtime friend actress Nandana, who has appeared in Tamil films such as ABCD and Success. Nandhana was his co-star in the film Saadhuriyan. The marriage was held at Ashirwad Marriage Hall at Kozhikode, Kerala, homeplace of Nandhana, whilst a grand reception took place on 1 December 2006 at Mayor Ramanathan Chettiar Hall in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The couple has 2 daughters, Arthika and Mathivadani.
Mahesh Babu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mahesh Babu
Babu in Spyder in 2017
Born
Ghattamaneni Mahesh Babu
9 August 1975

Madras, Tamil Nadu, India (now Chennai)
Occupation Film actor
Years active 1979–present

Works Full list
Spouse(s)

​(m. 2005)​
Children 2
Parent(s) Krishna (father)
Vijaya Nirmala (step-mother)
Relatives
show
List
Signature


Ghattamaneni Mahesh Babu (born 9 August 1975) is an Indian actor, producer, media personality, and philanthropist. One of the highest paid Telugu film actors, Babu has appeared in more than 25 films, and won several accolades including, eight Nandi Awards, five Filmfare Awards, three CineMAA Awards, three South Indian International Movie Awards, and one International Indian Film Academy Award. He also owns the production house G. Mahesh Babu Entertainment.

The younger son of veteran Telugu actor Krishna, Babu made his debut as a child artist in a cameo role in Needa (1979), at the age of four, and acted in eight other films as a child artist. He made his debut as a lead actor with Rajakumarudu (1999) which won him Nandi Award for Best Male Debut. Babu achieved his breakthrough with the supernatural drama Murari (2001), and the action film Okkadu (2003). He went on to act in other commercially successful films such as Athadu (2005), Pokiri (2006), Dookudu (2011), Businessman (2012), Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu (2013), 1: Nenokkadine (2014), Srimanthudu (2015), Bharat Ane Nenu (2018), Maharshi (2019), and Sarileru Neekevvaru (2020). Pokiri held the record of being the highest-grossing Telugu film while Sarileru Neekevvaru, his highest grosser, collected over ₹2.6 billion at the box office.

Referred to in the media as the Prince of Tollywood, he is one of the most popular and influential actors of Telugu cinema, and is described as the superstar of Telugu cinema by his fans. In addition to being an actor, he is a humanitarian and philanthropist - he runs a charitable trust and non-profit organisation, Heal-a-Child. He is also associated with Rainbow Hospitals as their goodwill ambassador. He plunged into the film exhibition business along with Narayandas Narang of Asian Group with the inauguration the seven-screen superplex at Gachibowli AMB Cinemas.

Early life

Ghattamaneni Mahesh Babu was born on 9 August 1975 in a Telugu family in Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu, India. He is the fourth of the five children of Telugu actor Krishna and Indira, after Ramesh Babu, Padmavathi, and Manjula and before Priyadarshini. Their family hails from Burripalem in Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh. Babu spent his childhood mostly in Madras under the care of his maternal grandmother Durgamma and the rest of his family Since Krishna was busy with his film commitments, Ramesh Babu used to look after Mahesh Babu's academic performance. Along with his siblings, Babu used to play cricket regularly at the VGP Golden beach in Madras. To spend time with him, Krishna used to make sure that his films' shoots would be conducted at the VGP Universal Kingdom during the weekends.

Krishna also made sure that none of his children would reveal his name during their schooling to ensure a peaceful environment. He was educated at St. Bede's Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, Chennai where actor Karthi was his schoolmate. Babu in an interview said that actor Vijay and he have been longtime close friends and studied at the same college before establishing themselves in their respective film industries. Babu was an above average student. He obtained a bachelor's degree in commerce from the Loyola College, Chennai. After graduating, he met with director L. Satyanand in Vishakhapatnam for further training in acting which went on for three to four months.[Being unable to read and write Telugu, he used to memorise the dialogues given by his directors during the dubbing phase of his films.

Personal life

Family

During the shoot of B. Gopal's Vamsi at Australia, Babu began to date his co-star Namrata Shirodkar. After being in a relationship for four years, they decided to get married, and Manjula convinced Krishna in favour of their decision. They were married on 10 February 2005 at the Marriott Hotel, Mumbai during the shooting of Athadu. The couple's first child was born in 2006 at the Global Hospital in Hyderabad. The boy, named Gautham Krishna, was a premature baby and was in critical condition during his birth. His condition turned stable after the doctors treated him in time. In 2012, Shirodkar gave birth to a girl whom they named Sitara. Before her delivery, they preserved her stem cells using stem cell banking to ensure a better immunity level.

Babu is the fourth child in a family of five children. His elder brother Ramesh Babu is a film producer and was also an actor. Mahesh Babu's eldest sister Padmavathi is married to Galla Jayadev, an industrialist and Member of the Indian Parliament from the Telugu Desam Party. His elder sister Manjula is a film producer, director, and an actress. Priyadarshini, his younger sister, is married to Sudheer Babu, who later made his debut as an actor in Telugu cinema.

Telugu actress and filmmaker Vijaya Nirmala is Babu's step-mother, and actor Naresh is his step-brother.

Philanthropy

Babu gives 30% of his annual income to charities, and most of his philanthropic activities are unpublicised because he prefers them to be so. He joined Farhan Akhtar's Men Against Rape and Discrimination (MARD) campaign in August 2013 and lent his voice to the Telugu version of a poem written by Javed Akhtar. He was signed in 2013 as the goodwill ambassador of Heal-a-child Foundation, a non-profit organisation that offers financial support to the parents of terminally ill children to help with the cost of medical treatment. In October 2014, he donated ₹2.5 million to a relief fund run by the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh for reconstruction of areas destroyed during Cyclone Hudhud. Krishna and Vijaya Nirmala later donated ₹2.5 million to the fund.

Jayadev announced in February 2015 that Babu would adopt Krishna's native village Burripalem, a minor panchayat in Tenali, and would address basic needs of the community such as potable drinking water and better roads and drainage systems. Babu also announced that he is working with Telangana's Rural Development minister K. T. Rama Rao to adopt another village in Mahbubnagar district.

Controversy

In September 2004, Babu attended a rally organised by his fans at Warangal for the promotional activities of Arjun. He and his fans allegedly raided two video libraries and assaulted their owners who were circulating unauthorised CDs of the film. Cases under IPC section 448 (criminal trespass), section 427 (mischief) and section 366 (kidnap) were registered on him, who was the principal accused, and five others. Later, a delegation from the Telugu film industry, including Chiranjeevi, Akkineni Nagarjuna, Ghattamaneni Krishna, Allu Aravind and Daggubati Suresh Babu, approached the then chief minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy to intervene in this case. Regarding the issue, Babu said that while cases were booked against him, not a single case had been booked against the person dealing in bootlegged CDs, which he found the "funniest" thing. Actor and filmmaker Pawan Kalyan openly supported Babu throughout the episode. Babu surrendered in the district court on 20 September 2004 and appeared before the court again on 22 April 2006. The final hearing was held on 7 July 2006, and Babu and the others were exonerated.
Awards and nominations

CeremonyCategoryYearFilmResultReference


Best Male Debut 1999 Raja Kumarudu Won


2003 Takkari Donga Won

2005 Arjun Won

Best Actor 2004 Nijam Won

2006 Athadu Won

2011 Dookudu Won

2015 Srimanthudu Won


2001 Murari Nominated

2003 Okkadu Won

2005 Athadu Nominated

2006 Pokiri Won

2011 Dookudu Won

2012 Businessman Nominated


2015 Srimanthudu Won

2019 Bharat Ane Nenu Nominated


2012 Dookudu Won

2013 Businessman Nominated


2015 1: Nenokkadine Nominated

2016 Srimanthudu Won

2019 Bharat Ane Nenu Nominated

Best Actor – Male 2003 Okkadu Won

2011 Dookudu Won

Best Actor – Male (Jury) 2015 1: Nenokkadine Won


2007 Pokiri Won

2013 Businessman Won

Best Actor – Telugu 2016 Srimanthudu Won

Mishkat Varma
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mishkat Varma
Born : 17 November 1989
Occupation
Actor
model
Years active 2014–present
Television

Relatives Mihika Verma (sister)

Mishkat Varma is an Indian television actor known for his portrayal of Kabir Kumar in Nisha Aur Uske Cousins.

Early life and family

Varma was born to a Punjabi father, Dilip Varma and South-Indian mother, Uma Varma. He did his schooling from Bombay Scottish School, Mahim and attended Mithibai College. He is a trained dancer and was a part of Shiamak Davar's dancing troupe. His elder sister, Mihika Verma is also an actress.

Career

Varma started his career with modelling and shooting for various advertisements. He made his television debut in 2014 with Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya as Raj Purohit for which he was nominated for Fresh New Face Male in Indian Telly Awards.

From 2014 to 2015, he portrayed Kabir Kumar in Nisha Aur Uske Cousins opposite Aneri Vajani. His performance earned him a nomination for Male Actor Of The Year in Asian Viewers Television Awards 2015.

In 2016, he played Josy Nair in Bindass's Yeh Hai Aashiqui which reunited him with Vajani. From 2016 to 2017, he portrayed Babbal Pratap in SAB TV's Ichhapyaari Naagin.

In 2018, he played Shaurya in &TV's anthology series Laal Ishq. In 2019, Varma portrayed Viraat in &TV's Shaadi Ke Siyape. From 2019 to 2020, Varma played Shikhar Shergill in Star Plus's Divya Drishti opposite Nyra Banerjee.
Mahipal (actor)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mahipal Singh
Mahipal in film Navrang
Born  24-11-1919

Died 15 May 2005 (age 86)

Occupation actor
Years active 1942–1984
Known for Navrang (1959)

Mahipal or (Mahipal Singh or Mahipal Bhandari) (24 November 1919 – 15 May 2005) was an Indian film actor who worked in Hindi cinema mostly in stunt films like Parasmani, Zabak, Cobra Girl, Jantar Mantar, Arabian nights themed movies such as Alibaba and 40 Thieves, Aladdin Aur Jadui Chirag, Roop Lekha, Sunehari Nagin, Hindu mythological movies like Sampoorna Ramayan, Ganesh Mahima, Veer Bhimsen, Jai Santoshi Maa. He is known for playing the iconic role of Lord Vishnu, and his two avatars, Lord Rama and Lord Krishna in lot of various puranic, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata Purana based movies, besides playing Tulsidas and Abhimanyu, and is also best known as the lead in V. Shantaram's Navrang (1959), and the songs "Tu Chhupi Hai Kahan Me Tadapta Yahan" and "Aadha Hai Chandrama Raat Aadhi". He acted in several well-known films of the 1950s and 1960s including V. Shantaram's Navrang (1959) and Babubhai Mistry's Parasmani (1963).

Biography

He was born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, where after his schooling, he graduated in literature from Jaswant Government College Jodhpur. Thereafter, he worked in the theatre before migrating to Mumbai in the early 1940s.

He made his film debut in the 1942 film Nazrana. However, the film didn't work, thereafter he wrote lyrics for V. Shantaram for four films. He went on to work with directors such as Sohrab Modi and later with the Wadia Brothers, Homi Wadia and J. B. H. Wadia, however, it was his work with V. Shantaram that got him lasting acclaim. He worked in several mythological and historical films with actresses such as Nirupa Roy, Mala Sinha and even Meena Kumari. He also did a series of fantasy films based on Arabian Nights, including Alibaba and 40 Thieves (1954), Jennie (1953) ,Aladdin Aur Jadui Chirag (1952) and Alibaba ka Beta (1955), which gave him popularity even in the Gulf countries. Later in his career, he switched to character roles, and appeared in films such as Jai Santoshi Maa (1975), a 1970s hit. He died in Mumbai of cardiac arrest, at the age of 86. He was survived by his wife Akkal Kunwar and daughters Shushila Jain and Nirmala Oswal.
Madan Kabir

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Publish Date:Sun, 29 Sep 2019 08:16 AM (IST)Author: JP Yadav

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Mukul Dev
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mukul Dev
Dev at a show
Born
Mukul Dev Kaushal
17 September 1970 

Delhi, India
Nationality Indian
Other names Mukul
Occupation

Years active 1996 – present
Known for Dastak
Relatives Rahul Dev (Brother)

Mukul Dev (born 17 September 1970) is an Indian television and film actor. He is known for his work in Hindi films, Punjabi films, TV serials and music albums. He has also acted in few Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu films. He received the 7th Amrish Puri Award, for excellence in acting for his role in Yamla Pagla Deewana.

He is also a trained pilot from the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi.

Career

Mukul Dev made his acting debut on TV through a serial Mumkin playing the role of Vijay Pandey in 1996. He also acted in Doordarshan's Ek Se Badh Kar Ek, a comedy Bollywood countdown show,

He made his film debut in the film Dastak as ACP Rohit Malhotra in the same year which also introduced crowned Miss Universe Sushmita Sen. He appeared in several films such as Qila (1998), Wajood (1998), Kohram (1999) and Mujhe Meri Biwi Se Bachaao (2001). He acted in several television serials in the 2000s such as Kahin Diyaa Jale Kahin Jiyaa (2001), Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii (2003), Pyar Zindagi Hai (2003) and participated in a dance competition show Kabhi Kabhii Pyaar Kabhi Kabhii Yaar (2008). In recent years he has played supporting roles in films like Yamla Pagla Deewana (2011), Son of Sardaar (2012), R... Rajkumar (2013) and Jai Ho (2014).

He was also the host of Fear Factor India of Season 1.
Mithun Raj
Mithun Raj is a Indian Actor. Mithun Raj was born on 31st January 1991 at Srilanka. Mithun Raj hails from Srilanka, religion belongs to is Hindu and nationality, Indian. Mithun Raj is popular celebrity among Tamil film actors, Tamil Television Actors, also famous for Rameswaram (Debut).

Wiki / Biography

This Article covers detailed story about Actor Mithun Raj, who also called as Mithun.
Profession Film and Television Actor

Birthplace Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Home Town Srilanka
Mithun Raj’s Current City Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Body Type Slim
Body Measurements Chest: 42 inches
Waist: 30 inches
Biceps: 16 inches
Mihir Das
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mihir Das
Das during 25th Odisha State Film Awards in Bhubaneswar.
Born
17 Feb 1966, Mayurbhanj, Odisha
Nationality Indian
Occupation Actor, Model
Spouse(s) Sangita Das
Children Amlan Das
Signature

Mihir Kumar Das is an Indian film actor who works in Odia language films. He has received several awards, notably Best Actor for his films Laxmi Pratima in 1998 and Pheria Mo Suna Bhauni in 2005 and Best Supporting Actor award for his films Rakhi Bandhili Mo Rakhiba Mana in 2002 and Prema Adhei Akhyara in 2010 from the Odisha state government.
Biography

Das was born in Mayurbhanj. He was married to singer and film artist Sangita Das.

He debuted in the Odia film industry with an art film School Master and then in commercial (non-art) film Mathura Bijay in 1979. He received wider applause and recognition for his performance in Pua Mora Bholashankar. A veteran actor for more than three decades, he received Best Actor award from the state government for his performance in movies Laxmi Protima in 1998 and Pheria Mo Suna Bhauni in 2005.

Film awards
Best Supporting Actor award for Laxmi Protima in 1998.
Best Actor award for Bidhata in 1999.
Best Supporting Actor award for Rakhi Bandhili Mo Rakhiba Mana in 2002.
Best Actor award for Pheria Mo Suna Bhauni in 2005.
Best Comedian award for Mu Tate Love Karuchi in 2007.
Best Supporting Actor award for Prema Adhei Akhyara in 2010
Matt Damon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Matt Damon
Born
Matthew Paige Damon
October 8, 1970 

Alma mater Harvard University (no degree)
Occupation
Actor
film producer
screenwriter
Years active 1987–present

Works Full list
Spouse(s)
Luciana BozƔn Barroso

​(m. 2005)​
Children 4
Awards Full list

Matthew Paige Damon (/ĖˆdeÉŖmən/; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among Forbes' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North American box office, making him one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award from five nominations, and two Golden Globe Awards. He also received three BAFTA Award nominations, seven Primetime Emmy Award nominations, and six Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Damon began his acting career by appearing in high school theater productions. He made his professional acting debut in the film Mystic Pizza (1988). He came to prominence in 1997 when he and Ben Affleck wrote and starred in Good Will Hunting, which won them the Academy and Golden Globe awards for Best Screenplay. He continued to garner praise from critics for his roles as the title character in Saving Private Ryan (1998), the antihero in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), a fallen angel in Dogma (1999), an energy analyst in Syriana (2005), a corrupt Irish-American policeman in The Departed (2006), and race car driver Carroll Shelby in Ford v Ferrari (2019).

Damon is also known for his starring roles as Jason Bourne in the Bourne franchise (2002–2016), and as con man Linus Caldwell in the Ocean's trilogy (2001–2007). He had a supporting role as rugby player Francois Pienaar in Invictus (2009) and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his leading role as an astronaut stranded on Mars in The Martian (2015). Damon portrayed Scott Thorson in the biopic Behind the Candelabra (2013) and produced the reality series Project Greenlight (2001–2015) as well as the film Manchester by the Sea (2016).

Damon has also performed voice-over work in both animated and documentary films, and has established two production companies with Affleck. He has been involved in charitable work with organizations including the One Campaign, H2O Africa Foundation, Feeding America, and Water.org.

Early life and education

Damon was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on October 8, 1970, the second son of Kent Telfer Damon (1942–2017), a stockbroker, and Nancy Carlsson-Paige (b. 1946), an early childhood education professor at Lesley University. His father had English and Scottish ancestry, while his mother is of Finnish and Swedish descent; her family surname had been changed from Pajari to Paige. Damon and his family moved to Newton for two years. His parents divorced when he was two years old, and he and his brother returned with their mother to Cambridge, where they lived in a six-family communal house. His brother, Kyle, is a sculptor and artist. As a lonely teenager, he has said that he felt he did not belong. Due to his mother's "by the book" approach to child-rearing, he had a hard time defining his own identity.

Damon attended Cambridge Alternative School and Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, where he was a good student. He performed as an actor in several high school theater productions. He credited his drama teacher Gerry Speca as an important artistic influence, though his close friend and schoolmate Ben Affleck got the "biggest roles and longest speeches". He attended Harvard University, where he was a resident of Lowell House and a member of the class of 1992, but left before receiving his degree to take a lead role in the film Geronimo: An American Legend. While at Harvard, Damon wrote an early treatment of the screenplay Good Will Hunting as an exercise for an English class, for which he later received an Academy Award. He was a member of The Delphic Club, one of Harvard's select Final Clubs. He was awarded the Harvard Arts Medal in 2013.

Career
1988–1999: Early work and breakthrough

Damon entered Harvard in 1988, where he appeared in student theater plays, such as Burn This and A... My Name is Alice. Later, he made his film debut at the age of 18, with a single line of dialogue in the romantic comedy Mystic Pizza. As a student at Harvard, he acted in small roles such as in the TNT original film Rising Son and the ensemble prep-school drama School Ties. He left the university in 1992, a semester (12 credits) shy of completion of his Bachelor of Arts in English to feature in Geronimo: An American Legend in Los Angeles, erroneously expecting the movie to become a big success. Damon next appeared as an opiate-addicted soldier in 1996's Courage Under Fire, for which he lost 40 pounds (18 kg) in 100 days on a self-prescribed diet and fitness regimen. Courage Under Fire gained him critical notice, when The Washington Post labeled his performance "impressive".
Damon during filming for The Talented Mr. Ripley in 1999

During the early 1990s, Damon and Affleck wrote Good Will Hunting (1997), a screenplay about a young mathematics genius, an extension of a screenplay he wrote for an assignment at Harvard, having integrated advice from director Rob Reiner, screenwriter William Goldman, and writer/director Kevin Smith. He asked Affleck to perform the scenes with him in front of the class and, when Damon later moved into Affleck's Los Angeles apartment, they began working on the script more seriously. The film, which they wrote mainly during improvisation sessions, was set partly in their hometown of Cambridge, and drew from their own experiences.They sold the screenplay to Castle Rock in 1994, but after a conflict with the company, they convinced Miramax to purchase the script.The film received critical praise; Quentin Curtis of The Daily Telegraph found "real wit and vigour, and some depth" in their writing and Emanuel Levy of Variety wrote of Damon's acting, "[he] gives a charismatic performance in a demanding role that's bound to catapult him to stardom. Perfectly cast, he makes the aching, step-by-step transformation of Will realistic and credible." It received nine Academy Awards nominations, including Best Actor for Damon; he and Affleck won Oscars and Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay. He and Affleck were each paid salaries of $600,000, while the film grossed over $225 million at the worldwide box office. The two later parodied their roles from the film in Kevin Smith's 2001 movie Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

Speaking of his "overnight success" through Good Will Hunting, Damon said by that time he had been working in the cinema for 11 years, but still found the change "nearly indescribable—going from total obscurity to walking down a street in New York and having everybody turn and look". Before the film, Damon played the lead in the critically acclaimed drama The Rainmaker (1997), where he was recognized by the Los Angeles Times as "a talented young actor on the brink of stardom." For the role, Damon regained most of the weight he had lost for Courage Under Fire. After meeting Damon on the set of Good Will Hunting, director Steven Spielberg cast him in the brief title role in the 1998 World War II film Saving Private Ryan. He co-starred with Edward Norton in the 1998 poker film Rounders, where he plays a reformed gambler in law school who must return to playing big stakes poker to help a friend pay off loan sharks. Despite meager earnings at the box-office, it is now considered one of the greatest poker movies of all time.

Damon then portrayed antihero Tom Ripley in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), a role for which he lost 11 kilograms (25 lb). Damon said that he wanted to display his character's humanity and honesty on screen despite his criminal actions. An adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's 1955 novel of same name, the film costarred Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cate Blanchett, and received praise from critics."Damon outstandingly conveys his character's slide from innocent enthusiasm into cold calculation", according to Variety magazine. He played a fallen angel who discusses pop culture as intellectual subject matter with Affleck in Dogma (1999). The film received generally positive reviews, but proved controversial among religious groups who deemed it blasphemous.

2000–2008: Worldwide recognition

In 2000, along with Ben Affleck and producers Chris Moore and Sean Bailey, Damon founded the production company LivePlanet, through which the four created the Emmy-nominated documentary series Project Greenlight to find and fund worthwhile film projects from novice filmmakers. The company produced and founded the short-lived mystery-hybrid series Push, Nevada, among other projects.
Damon in 2001

Damon's attempts at leading characters in romantic dramas such as 2000's All the Pretty Horses and The Legend of Bagger Vance were commercially and critically unsuccessful. Variety said of his work in All the Pretty Horses: "[Damon] just doesn't quite seem like a young man who's spent his life amidst the dust and dung of a Texas cattle ranch. Nor does he strike any sparks with  Cruz." He was similarly deemed "uncomfortable being the center" of Robert Redford's The Legend of Bagger Vance by Peter Rainer of New York magazine.

During this period, Damon joined two lucrative film series—Ocean's Trilogy (2001–2007) and Bourne (2002–2016)—and produced the television series Project Greenlight (2001–2005, 2015). In the former's first installment, Steven Soderbergh's 2001 ensemble film Ocean's Eleven, which is a remake of the Rat Pack's Ocean's 11 (1960), he co-starred as thief Linus Caldwell. The role was originally meant for Mark Wahlberg, who refused it in favor of other projects.The film was successful at the box-office, grossing $450 million from a budget of $83 million. Damon, alongside Affleck and others, produced the documentary series Project Greenlight, aired on HBO and later Bravo, which helps newcomers develop their first film. The series was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program in 2002, 2004 and 2005. Damon later said that he and Affleck felt proud that the show helped launch the careers of several directors; Damon later served as the executive producer of a number of projects directed by the winners of the show.

Damon began 2002 with writing and starring in Gerry, a drama about two friends who forget to bring water and food when they go hiking in a desert. The reviews for the film were generally positive, but it was a box-office failure He then played amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne in Doug Liman's action thriller The Bourne Identity (2002). Liman considered several actors for the role, before he cast Damon. Damon insisted on performing many of the stunts himself, undergoing three months of extensive training in stunt work, the use of weapons, boxing, and eskrima. Damon said that before The Bourne Identity he was jobless for six months, and many of his films during that period under-performed at the box-office. He doubted the film's financial prospects, but it proved a commercial success. Reviews for the film were also positive; Roger Ebert praised it for its ability to absorb the viewer in its "spycraft" and "Damon's ability to be focused and sincere". For his role, Entertainment Weekly named Damon among "the decade's best mixer of brawn and brains."
Damon attending an event for The Bourne Ultimatum in 2007

Damon voiced the role of Spirit in the animated film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) and later played a conjoined twin in Stuck on You (2003), which received a mixed critical reception. His major releases in 2004 included starring roles in the sequels The Bourne Supremacy and Ocean's Twelve. Both films earned more than $280 million at the box-office.In a review for The Bourne Supremacy, BBC's Nev Pierce called the film "a brisk, engrossing and intelligent thriller", adding, "Damon is one hell of an action hero. He does a lot with very little, imbuing his limited dialogue with both rage and sorrow, looking harder and more haunted as the picture progresses". For the film, he earned an Empire Award for Best Actor; the award's presenter Empire attributed Damon's win to his "astute, underplayed performance, through which he totally eschews movie star vanity". He played a fictionalized version of Wilhelm Grimm alongside Heath Ledger in Terry Gilliam's fantasy adventure The Brothers Grimm (2005), which was a critically panned commercial failure; The Washington Post concluded, "Damon, constantly flashing his newscaster's teeth and flaunting a fake, 'Masterpiece Theatre' dialect, comes across like someone who got lost on the way to an audition for a high school production of The Pirates of Penzance."

Later in 2005, he appeared as an energy analyst in the geopolitical thriller Syriana alongside George Clooney and Jeffrey Wright.The film focuses on petroleum politics and the global influence of the oil industry. Damon says starring in the film broadened his understanding of the oil industry and that he hoped the people would talk about the film afterward. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone was mainly impressed with Clooney's acting, but also found Damon's performance "whiplash". In 2006, Damon joined Robert De Niro in The Good Shepherd as a career CIA officer, and played an undercover mobster working for the Massachusetts State Police in Martin Scorsese's The Departed, a remake of the Hong Kong police thriller Infernal Affairs. Assessing his work in the two films, Manohla Dargis of The New York Times wrote that Damon has the unique "ability to recede into a film while also being fully present, a recessed intensity, that distinguishes how he holds the screen." The Departed received critical acclaim and won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

According to Forbes in August 2007, Damon was the most bankable star of the actors reviewed, his last three films at that time averaged US$29 at the box office for every dollar he earned. Damon had an uncredited cameo in Francis Ford Coppola's Youth Without Youth (2007) and another cameo in the 2008 Che Guevara biopic Che.

2009–present: Established actor
Damon attending an event for The Informant! at the 2009 Venice International Film Festival

He made a guest appearance in 2009 on the sixth-season finale of Entourage as himself, where he tries to pressure Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) into donating to his real foundation ONEXONE. His next role was Steven Soderbergh's dark comedy The Informant! (2009), in which his Golden Globe-nominated work was described by Entertainment Weekly as such: "The star – who has quietly and steadily turned into a great Everyman actor – is in nimble control as he reveals his character's deep crazies." Also in 2009, Damon portrayed South Africa national rugby union team captain FranƧois Pienaar in the Clint Eastwood-directed film Invictus, which is based on the 2008 John Carlin book Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Changed a Nation and features Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela. Invictus earned Damon an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The New Republic observed that he brought "it off with low-key charm and integrity." Damon also lent his voice to the English version of the animated film Ponyo, which was released in the United States in August 2009.

In March 2010, Damon and Ben Affleck collaborated once again to create another production company titled Pearl Street Films, a Warner Bros.-based production company. That same year, he reunited with director Paul Greengrass, who directed him in the Bourne Supremacy and Bourne Ultimatum, for the action thriller Green Zone, which flopped commercially and received a score of 53% on Rotten Tomatoes and ambivalent reception from critics. He has appeared as a guest star in an episode of Arthur, titled "The Making of Arthur", as himself. During season 5 of 30 Rock, he appeared as guest star in the role of Liz Lemon's boyfriend in the episodes "I Do Do", "The Fabian Strategy", "Live Show", and "Double-edged Sword". Damon's 2010 projects included Clint Eastwood's Hereafter and the Coen brothers' remake of the 1969 John Wayne-starring Western True Grit.

In 2011, he starred in The Adjustment Bureau, Contagion, and We Bought a Zoo. That same year, the documentary which he narrated, American Teacher, opened in New York prior to national screening. Also in 2011, he voiced a krill named Bill in the animated film Happy Feet Two. In January 2012, it was announced that Damon had signed a multiyear deal to be the voice of TD Ameritrade advertisements, replacing Sam Waterston as the discount brokerage's spokesman. Damon donates all fees from the advertisements to charity In April 2012, Damon filmed Promised Land, directed by Gus Van Sant, which Damon co-wrote with John Krasinski. Damon's next film with frequent collaborator Steven Soderbergh was Behind the Candelabra, a drama about the life of pianist/entertainer Liberace (played by Michael Douglas) with Damon playing Liberace's longtime partner Scott Thorson. The film premiered on HBO on May 26, 2013.
Damon at the French premiere of The Monuments Men in 2014

Damon starred in the science fiction film Elysium (2013), where he played former car-thief-turned-factory-worker Max DeCosta. He also appeared in the science fiction movie The Zero Theorem by Terry Gilliam in 2013. That same year, Damon appeared in a 20-second advertisement for Nespresso, directed by Grant Heslov, with whom he worked on The Monuments Men. The deal earned him $3 million. Damon also provided voice-over for United Airlines's resurrected "Fly the Friendly Skies" advertisement campaign in 2013.

In 2014, he starred in George Clooney's The Monuments Men, and played the minor role of scientist Dr. Mann, in Christopher Nolan's Interstellar. That same year, Damon appeared as a celebrity correspondent for Years of Living Dangerously. In 2015, Damon portrayed the main character, astronaut Mark Watney, in Ridley Scott's The Martian, based on Andy Weir's best-selling novel of the same name, a role that earned him the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and his second Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Having not returned for the fourth film in the Bourne film series, Damon reprised his role in 2016's Jason Bourne, reuniting with Paul Greengrass. In 2017, Damon played the lead role in Zhang Yimou's The Great Wall, a hit internationally and a disappointment at the domestic box office. The film, and Damon's casting, were not well received by critics. Later in 2017, he starred in two satires, George Clooney's 1950s-set Suburbicon, which was released in October, and Alexander Payne's comedy Downsizing, which was released in December. In 2019, Damon portrayed Carroll Shelby in the action biographical drama Ford v Ferrari, directed by James Mangold.

In 2021, it was confirmed that Damon would reunite with director Christopher Nolan, for Nolan's upcoming biographical film Oppenheimer. He will be playing Leslie Groves, the director of the Manhattan Project.

Activism

Damon, alongside George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Don Cheadle, David Pressman, and Jerry Weintraub, is one of the founders of Not On Our Watch Project, an organization that focuses global attention and resources to stop and prevent mass atrocities such as in Darfur. Damon supports One Campaign, which is aimed at fighting AIDS and poverty in Third World countries. He has appeared in their print and television advertising. He is an ambassador for ONEXONE, a nonprofit foundation committed to supporting, preserving, and improving the lives of children at home in Canada, the United States, and around the world.

Damon is a spokesperson for Feeding America, a hunger-relief organization, and a member of their Entertainment Council, participating in their Ad Council public service announcements. He is a board member of Tonic Mailstopper (formerly GreenDimes), a company that attempts to halt junk mail delivered to American homes each day.

Damon was the founder of H2O Africa Foundation, the charitable arm of the Running the Sahara expedition, which merged with WaterPartners to create Water.org in July 2009.

Water.org has partnered with corporate sponsors to promote awareness and raise funds to support its mission of bringing safe, clean, cost-effective drinking water and sanitation to developing countries. In this context, Damon has been the face of advertising campaigns to promote Water.org in conjunction with products from major sponsors.

In October 2011, Water.org received an $8 million grant from the Pepsico Foundation to scale up WaterCredit, which provides microloans to families throughout India. Damon has been part of promoting those efforts, tying in with the Aquafina and Ethos Water brands of bottled water owned by Pepsico and Starbucks.

Since 2015, Damon has promoted Anheuser-Busch InBev's Stella Artois beer brand as a Water.org partner, including the sale of limited-edition "blue chalice" glasses imprinted with an embellished blue version of the brand's logo. In a television advertisement made for broadcast during the 2018 Super Bowl of the United States' National Football League (NFL), he promoted Water.org and Stella Artois's role in supporting its work.

In October 2021, he announced a new partnership with the cryptocurrency trading platform Crypto.com, under which Crypto.com was to make a $1 million donation to Water.org. In the announcement, Damon said, "Crypto.com gave us this great donation, which is amazing. The money that I make for the commercials to promote them, I give 100% of that to Water.org as well. So, it's millions of dollars coming in to us."

Damon's Crypto.com commercial started rolling out in cinemas late in 2021, and then on television in January 2022, mainly during sports programming such as NFL games. Once it was broadcast widely on television, it sparked much criticism, as did its accompanying "making of" featurette. In The Independent, Nathan Place wrote, "Twitter is cringing after a TV commercial starring Matt Damon compared trading cryptocurrency to mankind's greatest achievements. In the ad, which aired during Sunday night’s NFL games, Mr Damon makes an abstract plug for crypto.com – a platform for exchanging digital currencies like Bitcoin – while striding past images of explorers and astronauts. The New Zealand Herald published an article by Lexie Cartwright summing up viewer reaction: "Matt Damon's new commercial plugging cryptocurrency has been absolutely savaged on social media, with viewers dubbing it 'insulting' and 'disgusting'." The story included a series of tweets, among them one by Carole Cadwalladr of The Observer in which she wrote, "There isn't enough yuck in the world to describe Matt Damon advertising a Ponzi scheme and comparing it to the moon landings." In the New York Post, Ben Cost wrote, "Matt Damon has been blasted online after appearing in a 'cringe-worthy' Crypto.com commercial that analogizes buying cryptocurrency to some of history's greatest achievements. The advert originally aired in October, but is currently going viral as critics torch its pretentious message." He described Damon's advertisement as "shameless crypto-shilling".

Public image

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel had a running gag on his ABC television show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where he apologized for not being able to interview Damon at the end of each show. It culminated in a planned skit on September 12, 2006, when Damon stormed off after having his interview cut short. Damon appeared in several of E! Entertainment's top ten Jimmy Kimmel Live! spoofs. On January 24, 2013, Damon took over his show and mentioned the long-standing feud and having been bumped from years of shows. It involved celebrities who were previously involved in the "feud", including Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, and Sarah Silverman.

Personal life
Damon with wife Luciana BozĆ”n at the 2009 Venice International Film Festival

Damon met his Argentine wife, Luciana BozĆ”n, while filming Stuck on You in Miami in April 2003. They became engaged in September 2005 and married in a private civil ceremony at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau on December 9, 2005. They have three daughters together born in June 2006, August 2008, and October 2010. He also has a stepdaughter Alexia Barroso (born 1998) from BozĆ”n's previous marriage, and considers her to be his own. Since 2012, they have lived in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, having previously lived in Miami and New York City.

In 2018, Damon bought a luxury penthouse in New York City's Brooklyn Heights neighborhood for $16.5 million, making it Brooklyn's most expensive apartment at the time. He is a fan of the Boston Red Sox. After the team won the 2007 World Series, he narrated the commemorative DVD release of the event. He has competed in several World Series of Poker (WSOP) events, including the 2010 World Series of Poker main event. He was eliminated from the 1998 WSOP by poker professional Doyle Brunson.

Politics

While discussing the Iraq War on Hardball with Chris Matthews in December 2006, Damon expressed concern about inequities across socioeconomic classes with regard to who is tasked with the responsibility of fighting wars.

Damon is a supporter of the Democratic Party, and has made several critical attacks against Republican Party figures. However, he also expressed disappointment over the policies of President Barack Obama. He had a working relationship with the Obama administration, primarily due to his friendship with Jason Furman, his former Harvard roommate who became Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors to Obama.

In 2010, Damon narrated the documentary film Inside Job, about the part played by financial deregulation in the late-2000s financial crisis.

In 2012, Damon joined Ben Affleck and John Krasinski in hosting a fundraiser for Democratic Senate nominee Elizabeth Warren.


Social views

In October and December 2017, Damon made headlines when he made a series of comments regarding the Me Too movement against sexual harassment and misconduct. On October 10, Sharon Waxman, a former reporter for The New York Times, mentioned that Damon and Russell Crowe had made direct phone calls to her to vouch for the head of Miramax Italy, Fabrizio Lombardo. In her report, she suspected Lombardo of facilitating incidents of Harvey Weinstein's sexual misconduct in Europe. However, Damon clarified later that the calls were solely to reassure her of Lombardo's professional qualifications in the film industry. Waxman endorsed Damon's statement on Twitter hours later. Also during this time, Damon said that he had heard a story from Ben Affleck that Gwyneth Paltrow, a co-worker on a feature film of his, had been harassed by Weinstein in 1996, but thought "she had handled it" because they continued to work together, and Weinstein "treated her incredibly respectfully".

In another series of interviews during December 2017, Damon advocated for a "spectrum of behavior" analysis of sexual misconduct cases, noting that some are more serious than others. The comment caused offense to prominent members of the Me Too movement and the public for being "tone-deaf in understand[ing] what abuse is like". On January 17, 2018, Damon apologized on The Today Show for his social commentary, stating that he "should get in the back seat and close [his] mouth for a while".

In March 2018, Damon and Affleck announced they would adopt the inclusion rider agreement in all their future production deals through their company Pearl Street Films.

In August 2021, Damon sparked controversy after stating in an interview with The Sunday Times that he had only "months ago" stopped using the word "fag", saying that it "was commonly used when I was a kid, with a different application." This had come after an incident in which his daughter left the table due to his usage of the word and "wrote a very long, beautiful treatise on how that word is dangerous." He denied ever using the six-letter word "faggot" in his "personal life"; and went on to state, in regard to the word "fag", "I explained that that word was used constantly and casually and was even a line of dialogue in a movie of mine as recently as 2003; she in turn expressed incredulity that there could ever have been a time where that word was used unthinkingly. To my admiration and pride, she was extremely articulate about the extent to which that word would have been painful to someone in the LGBTQ+ community regardless of how culturally normalized it was. I not only agreed with her but thrilled at her passion, values and desire for social justice."

Awards and honors

Aside from awards he has garnered for his role as actor and producer, Damon became the 2,343rd person to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on July 25, 2007. He reacted to the award by stating: "A few times in my life, I've had these experiences that are just kind of too big to process and this looks like it's going to be one of those times."
Manivannan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Manivannan
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Manivannan in September 2012
Born
Manivannan
31 July 1953

Died 15 June 2013 (aged 59)

Occupation Film actor, director, writer, Tamil activist and music director
Years active 1978–2013
Political party NTK http://www.naamtamilar.org
Spouse(s) Sengamalam
Children Jyothi, Raghuvannan

S. Manivannan Rajagopal (31 July 1953 – 15 June 2013), better known by his mononym Manivannan, was an Indian film actor, director and Tamil activist. In a career spanning three decades, he went from being a story and dialogue writer for director Bharathiraja from 1980–82 to a successful director who thrived in experimenting with different genres, before becoming an actor. With over 400 films to his name, Manivannan was one of the most experienced actors in the field and has directed exactly 50 films. Manivannan was mainly a supporting actor in films and often played the comedian or the villain's role.

During his lifetime, he supported various political parties, including the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. He later became affiliated with the Naam Tamilar Katchi and had long supported its ideology of Sri Lankan Tamil nationalism.

Career

Manivannan attended the Sulur Government Boy's High School and later enrolled at Government Arts College. While completing his pre-university course in Kovai, he became acquainted with Sathyaraj and became friends. According to Sathyaraj, he provided poor guidance to Manivannan and made him pursue a degree in history in advanced English, which made him struggle with topics such as Shakespeare, forcing him to drop out later. While still at college, Manivannan was bitten by the stage-bug and consequently he staged a few performances. Inspired by the impact the film Kizhake Pogum Rail (1978) made on him, he wrote a fan mail to the film-maker Bharathiraja and the letter ran to more than a hundred pages. Bharathiraja took him under his fold as an apprentice. Manivannan joined Bharathiraja's camp around 1979, when the director was acting in and was directing by P S Nivas, Kallukkul Eeram.

He penned the story and dialogues for some of his mentor's films between 1980–82 like Nizhalgal, Tick Tick Tick, Alaigal Oivathillai and Kaadhal Oviyam. Manivannan assisted Bharathiraja in a handful of films like Koththa Jeevithaalu (Telugu), Red Rose (Hindi) starring Rajesh Khanna and Lovers (Hindi).He learned trade hard and fast within two years under Bharatiraja and by 1982 made his directorial dĆ©but. He had also penned the story and dialogues for a bunch of other films like Lottery Ticket acted by Mohan and Prabhu, Agaya Gangai acted by Karthik, Nesam acted by Ajith Kumar. In Kodi Parakuthu, directed by Bharathiraja, Manivannan did the villain's role.

Although Manivannan has directed 50 films in Tamil and had around 34 films as box-office hits, he was most known for his acting skills among public. He was considered unique in the industry for his wisdom and his character roles. He had acted alongside many a star including Sivaji Ganesan, Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Sathyaraj, Karthik, Mohan, Madhavan, Vijay, Ajith Kumar, Surya and among others. He has starred in over 400 films. Amaidhi Padai, directed by Manivannan, is believed to have given him headway as an actor. He started getting plush offers and was seen acting in as many as thirty films a year from 1990–2011.

Manivannan directed 50 films including a few ventures in Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi. As a director, he made films in different genres – from romance to thriller to drama. He made his directorial dĆ©but with Gopurangal Saivathillai in 1982. The Hindu wrote that his film Amaidhi Padai (1994) "has set the standards for political satire in Tamil cinema".

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Manivannan prioritised his acting career. At the height of his acting career, six of his film released on the same day in January 1998. Certain directorial ventures which he had started including Aaruvathu Sinam featuring Sathyaraj and Prabhu, were delayed and then dropped. In 2013 he directed his 50th and last film Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA, a sequel to Amaidhi Padai. Manivannan directed his best friend Sathyaraj in a good 25 films[7] and gave 12 successive hits as the director of Tamil films with Sathyaraj as the lead hero – Jallikattu, Chinna Thambi Periya Thambi, Ganam Kortaar Avargale, Manidhan Marivittan, Ullathil Nalla Ullam, Vazhkkaichakkaram, Pudhu Manithan, Therku Theru Machan, Government Mapillai, Amaidhipadai.

His protĆ©gĆ©s have proved themselves as successful directors. Vikraman, R K Selvamani, Sundar C, Seeman, K Selva Bharathy, Radha Bharathi, C V Sasikumar, E Ramadoss, Jeeva Balan and Rasu Madhuravan once took orders for Manivannan. Withering irony, and a very cool way of delivering the dialogues is Manivannan's motif and style in films.

Politics

Manivannan was first a staunch supporter of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) as his father R S Maniam was the DMK town secretary of Sulur, which made Manivannan develop an interest in the ideology of the Dravidian movement. However, later he became a Marxist and an activist in the naxalite movement. He had political differences even with his father.

Manivannan was a Tamil patriot and joined the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) political party and campaigned for them during the 2006 Assembly elections. He later joined Naam Tamilar Katchi and has been as supporter of Tamil Eelam. Manivannan once said: "If I were born in Tamil Eelam, I would have certainly joined the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam as a warrior and sacrificed my life for the Eelam, since I am born in Tamil Nadu, there is Eelam feeling in me".

Personal life

Manivannan hails from a small town called Sulur in Coimbatore District. He was born to R S Maniam, a rice merchant, textile trader and a well known politician in Coimbatore and Maragatham who has contested in the elections and won a seat in the panchayat. Manivannan married Sengamalam, has a daughter and a son Raghu, who is acting in the films and is popularly known as Raghuvannan.

Death

Manivannan died shortly after the release of his 50th directorial venture Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA due to a cardiac arrest (heart attack) on 15 June 2013 at the age of 59 in his Nesapakkam residence at Chennai. His body was wrapped in the flag of Tamil Eelam as he wished. Two months after his death, his wife died on 15 August 2013.

Mohan Babu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mohan Babu

Mohan Babu at SVET Tirupati in 2014
Born
Manchu Bhakthavatsalam Naidu
19 March 1952

Modhugulapalem, Chittoor, Madras State, India (present-day Andhra Pradesh)
Alma mater Madras Film Institute
YMCA College of Physical Education
Years active 1975–present
Spouse(s) Manchu Vidya Devi (late)
Manchu Nirmala Devi
Children Manchu Lakshmi
Manchu Vishnu
Manchu Manoj
Awards Padma Shri (2007)
Website Mohan Babu

Manchu Bhakthavatsalam Naidu, credited and also known as Mohan Babu, is an Indian actor and producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. An alumnus of the Madras Film Institute, Mohan Babu has acted in more than five hundred feature films in lead, supporting and a variety of roles.

In 1995, he received Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu for his work in the multi-starrer Pedarayudu, which also starred Rajinikanth in a pivotal role. In 2007, he received the CineMAA Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Yamadonga. Mohan Babu was honored at the University of California, Berkeley for his contribution to the field of cinema and education. He is the co-owner of production companies such as Sree Lakshmi Prasanna Pictures, 24 Frames Factory and Manchu Entertainment. In 2016, he garnered the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South. In 2017, he received the "Special Appreciation Award" for completing "forty years in cinema" at the 6th South Indian International Movie Awards.

A former Physical Education Instructor, Mohan Babu is a noted educationalist, and operates Sri Vidya Niketan Educational Institutions, and is the founder of Sree Vidyanikethan Educational Trust. In the year 2007, he received the Padma Shri for his contribution to the field of Arts and education. He is a former Member of Parliament – Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh after being elected in the year 1995. He was also a Deputy into the International Parliament for Safety and Peace. He is referred to in the media as Dialogue King, Collection King, Nataprapoorna, and Natavachaspathi.

Early life

Mohan Babu was born to Manchu Narayanaswamy Naidu and Manchu Lakshmamma in the Modhugulapalem village near the banks of the river Swarnamukhi. Mohan Babu grew up with his three younger brothers, Manchu Ranganatha Chowdary, Manchu Ramachandra Chowdary, Manchu Krishna and his sister Vijaya. After finishing primary schooling from Yerpedu village, he attended the S.P.J.N.M High School in Tirupati. As a child, Mohan Babu developed an interest in the stage and actively appeared in school plays from the age of 14. His father, a headmaster, was keen on his son pursuing an academic career. It was during this time that Mohan Babu moved to Chennai and acquired a degree in Physical education from the YMCA College of Physical Education.

Career

Mohan Babu began his career as a Physical education instructor at the YMCA college of physical education for many years. Drawn to arts as a child and convinced that the film industry was the place meant for him, Mohan Babu started traveling to many studios based in Chennai in search of opportunities. Finally, in the year 1969, he received an opportunity to work with director Lakshmi Deepak as an apprentice, marking his entry into the film industry. He spent many years behind the camera until his thirst for acting and expression brought him on the screen with the 1974 films Kannavari Kalalu and Alluri Seetha Rama Raju as an actor.

During this time, Mohan Babu was introduced to Dasari Narayana Rao who was then a script writer in Tollywood. This would pan out to become the most significant event of his career. Mohan Babu's first major breakthrough as an actor came with the 1975 film Swargam Narakam, directed by Dasari Narayana Rao. Dasari cast him as a villain in the movie and went on to achieve great success. It was after this movie that his birth name Bakthavatsalam Naidu was changed to Mohan Babu. After appearing in many films as a comedy-villain, he proceeded to star as the leading actor in Khaidi Kalidasu, Ketugadu, Gruhapravesham, Assembly Rowdy, Allari mogudu and many more. After receiving success in Telugu Cinema, Mohan Babu as a lover of arts was also drawn to the happenings of Tamil Cinema. After being initiated into the Tamil Film Industry by Sivaji Ganesan, he went on to appear in over 20 Tamil films as in Mohan Babu filmographywith a multitude of roles to his credit.
Initial films

Starting out in the late 70s and early 80s, Mohan Babu quickly established himself as the finest actor of his generation. In his initial films, he's no different from many of his contemporaries. It is a known fact that late veteran director Dasari Narayana Rao noticed something unique about him and professed that Mohan Babu had a fire to succeed in his eyes. He was given a negative role in the film Swargam Narakam, where he played a rich kid and Mohan Babu's career kicked off. He portrayed villain roles alongside the legendary actors of Telugu cinema such as NTR, ANR, etc. He started to appear in more villainous roles and it was in the 1980s people realized something unique about Mohan Babu. Once established in Tollywood, he became the goody for playing the hero of numerous films.
Big break


A shift in Mohan Babu's career took place in 1978 with Sivaranjani, a blockbuster hit at the box office. The movie heralded the 'villain' and also came out with many of the mannerisms. He had an outstanding mentor in the form of Dasari Narayana Rao, who guided him in the right direction and gave him the initial foundation substratum he required to do well. Mohan Babu followed this success by portraying a variety of roles in his next films such as Simha Garjana (1978), Simha Baludu (1978), Ramakrishnulu (1978), Padaharella Vayasu (1978), Nayudu Bava (1978), Shokilla Rayudu (1979) and Ramude Ravanudaithe (1979). His roles in Patnam Vachina Pativrathalu (1982), Billa Ranga (1978), Dharma Poratam (1983), Padmavyooham (1973), Bhale Ramudu (1984) and Sanchalanam (1985), showed a diverse range, despite often playing the villain.
Later roles

Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Mohan Babu achieved moderate success in such films as Trilok Sundari (1980), Sita Ramulu (1980), Taxi Driver (1981), Sawaal (1982), Pralaya Garjana (1983), Seethamma Pelli (1984), Tirugubotu (1985), Viswanatha Nayakudu (1987), Atmakatha (1988), Black Tiger (1989) and Prananiki Pranam (1990). Mohan Babu continued to take on a variety of comedic roles, starring in such films as Detective Narada (1992), Veedevadandi Babu (1997), Tappu Chesi Pappu Koodu (2002) and Pandavulu Pandavulu Tummeda (2013).
Star status

By 1990, Mohan Babu was a big topic in the ilm industry. Assembly Rowdy (1991) propelled him into the superstar status. He always analyzes himself and focuses on his strengths to invent himself, which allowed his stardom to further rise. Films such as Alludugaru (1990) and Assembly Rowdy (1991) from the mid 1990s onwards projected him as a dialogue king, who could say difficult dialogues perfectly, while Mohan Babu defined his targeted audience by playing a variety of roles in films such as Rowdy Gari Pellam (1991), Allari Mogudu (1992) and Pedarayudu (1995), which promoted him as the collection king in the film industry.
2000–present

He followed with Rayalaseema Ramanna Chowdary (2000), Adhipathi (2001), Shiva Shankar (2004), Political Rowdy (2005), Game (2006), Yamadonga (2007), Krishnarjuna (2008), Bujjigadu (2008), Raju Maharaju (2009), Saleem (2009), Jhummandi Naadam (2010), Rowdy (2014), Yamaleela 2 (2014) and Mama Manchu Alludu Kanchu (2015).

Family sentiment movie 'Gayatri' was released on 9 February 2018. Mohan Babu's high voltage performance in dual role is reviewed by the critics as major highlight of the movie. In this movie, which is Mohan Babu's own production, his Son Vishnu Manchu played the character of young Mohan Babu, and he fit the bill very well in enacting the histrionics of his father.

Mohan Babu did a special role in Mahanati, biographical film based on the life of actress Savitri released on 9 May 2018. He portrayed the role of legendary S. V. Ranga Rao in the movie .

His next film is Soorarai Pottru , Which was released on OTT platform{Amazon prime} , 2020, also in Telugu as Aakaasam Nee Haddhu Raa

As of October 2020, he launched Son of India (2021 film) a Telugu film, directed by Diamond Ratnababu and produced by Vishnu Manchu. Mohan Babu has penned screenplay for the film.

Though not announced officially, Mohan Babu declared that his next films would be ambitious mythological film 'Ravana Brahma' and prestigious historical film 'Bhakta Kannappa', which is one of the most awaited projects in the South Indian Cinema.
Producer

Mohan Babu continued his foray into the film industry by wanting to seize opportunities to experiment with his acting skills. In the year 1982, Mohan Babu established Sree Lakshmi Prasanna Pictures. Named after his daughter Lakshmi Manchu, the movie house released Pratigna. The film was very successful and went on to be showcased in theaters for 100 days. Under Mohan Babu's guidance, the production company went on to deliver major blockbusters including Assembly Rowdy, Rowdygari Pellam, Alludu Garu, Major Chandrakanth, Pedarayudu, Rayalaseema Ramanna Chowdary and many more.

As an ardent admirer of N.T. Rama Rao, in the year 1993, Mohan Babu produced Major Chandrakanth, starring N.T. Rama Rao and himself . The movie was directed by K. Raghavendra Rao, and went on to become a major blockbuster. The movie also celebrated its silver jubilee and stands as the last movie in N.T. Rama Rao's film career.
Activism
Political views

Known for his long association with the late N.T. Rama Rao, Mohan Babu ardently campaigned for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), when it was led by N.T. Rama Rao and consequently joined the party in 1982. While he was making his political presence felt, Mohan Babu received a nomination for Rajya Sabha as a member of parliament representing Andhra Pradesh in the year 1995. During his six-year tenure with the Rajya Sabha, Mohan Babu undertook various projects to develop the Chittoor district including laying roads, providing clean water, developing sanitation and hygiene.

While serving his tenure in the Rajya Sabha, he was also a member of the Committee on Human Resource Development from 1996 to 1997, the committee on Urban and Rural Development and the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. As part of the Social Forestry programme, he took charge of extensive sapling plantation in scores of villages with the help of villagers and the Vana Samrakshana Samithis. He also initiated programmes on health, nutrition and education on a large scale for the rural populace.

During the Ralayaseema drought, he toured to many villages extensively to address the plight of the agrarian community and offer solutions for disaster management including crop preservation. During these visits, he also worked towards tackling the shortage of drinking water in many villages.

After leaving the TDP, Mohan Babu continued with his career in the film industry. While in the midst of producing a movie titled Sri Ramuliah, he narrowly escaped a bomb blast which killed 23 people and injuring 35 others in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad.

Mohan Babu is also known to have actively participated in improving the living standards of many underprivileged artists in the South Indian Film Industry. Mohan Babu stayed away from politics after NTR's demise. He joined YSR Congress Party in 2019 and campaigned for Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy in becoming CM. Though not actively involved in political activities, he raises his voice against any injustice in the society. There are speculations that BJP has invited Mohan Babu to join the national party as he met PM Narendra Modi along with his family in the beginning of 2020.
Humanitarian work

Due to severe drought, the Rayalaseema people and agrarian community were cut off from necessary food supplies. Due to the event, plenty of people suffered from starvation. During his tenure as a Rajya Sabha MP, Mohan Babu visited the drought hit region and created some solutions to help the victims of famine.

Mohan Babu developed his love of acting and passed it along to his children, with three kids following his footsteps into the film and education sector and carrying on his legacy. His daughter Lakshmi Manchu was appointed as the brand ambassador of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan by the Prime Minister of India. Manchu Vishnu and Manchu Manoj have undertaken many initiatives to improve the condition of underprivileged children who were flood victims in the past.
Contributions to education

Mohan Babu established the Sree Vidyanikethan Educational Trust in 1993. Today, Sree Vidyanikethan runs the Sree Vidyanikethan International School, Sree Vidyanikethan degree College, Sree Vidyanikethan Engineering College, Sree Vidyanikethan College of Pharmacy, Sree Vidyanikethan College of Nursing, The Sree Vidyanikethan College of Management and the Sree Vidyanikethan College for Post Graduation Studies.
Personal life

Mohan Babu was married to Vidya Devi with whom he has a sonManchu Vishnu and a daughter Manchu Lakshmi Prasanna – both actors in the film industry. After her death, he married her sister, Nirmala Devi, with whom he has a son Manchu Manoj, also an actor.
Awards and nominations

In 2007, he has been awarded Padma Shri for his outstanding contribution to Art and Education.
Best Actor Award for his role in the movie Pedarayudu (1995), in which he portrayed a kind-hearted and disciplined village head who gives solutions and punishments to the wrong-doers.

 His role in Yamadonga won him the CineMAA Awards for Best Actor in 2008.
CineMAA Awards
Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South (2016).
Filmfare Best Actor Award (Telugu) – Peddarayudu (1995)
South Indian International Movie Awards
SIIMA Special Appreciation Award (2017)
CineMAA Award for Best Supporting Actor – Yamadonga (2008)


Honorary doctorate at the 26th convocation of the Dr. MGR University. in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on 5 October 2017. He has bestowed the award for his notable contribution to the Telugu film industry. Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, who took additional charge of the governor of Tamil Nadu, presented the PhD degree to the actor. Mohan Babu, who created waves in the showbiz world with this matchless dialogue delivery, is one among few Telugu film actors who received the honorary doctorate.
TSR Kalaparishath honoured him with the title Natavachaspathi for his valuable contribution to the Tollywod.
The Glory of India International Award.
Special Appreciation Award from SIIMA in 2017 at 6th South Indian International Movie Awards.
‘Viswa Nata Sarvabhouma’ title at Shilpakala Vedika in Hyderabad by Former Union Minister and filmmaker T. Subbarami Reddy. The ceremony, which was held on 17 January 2018, was organized by TSR Kakatiya Lalitha Kala Parishath. T Subbarami Reddy presented him a citation, shawl, and Saraswati Veena, and Bracelet Kankanam.
Dialogue Book

As he has completed 40 years in the film industry, the actor's popular dialogues have been compiled in a book, named "Dialogue Book", was launched in the House of Commons, British Parliament, on 11 May 2016. This book launch event was hosted by Asian Lite, in association with Bob Blackman, Member of Parliament. This was the first time that a Telugu film personality got honoured in the House of Commons, British Parliament.

Minaketan Das
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Minaketan Das
Born September 7, 1961
Died June 30, 2017

Balianta, Bhubaneswar
Occupation Actor

Minaketan Das (7 September 1961 – 30 June 2017) was an Indian actor active in the cinema of Odisha.

Career

He starred in his entry to cinema of Odisha through Odia - language film Sindura Nuhein Khela Ghara in 2002.

Death

He died on 30 June 2017 of pancreatic cancer at his home in Balianta, Bhubaneswar, aged 56.

Filmography

He appears in supporting roles in Odia films.

Selected filmography

Jiye Jaha Kahu Mora Dho (2015)
Balunga Toka (2011)

Maruthi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maruthi
Born 8 October 1973 

Occupation Director
Years active 2005 - present
Spouse(s) Veenaraga Spandana (2003)
Children 2

Maruthi Dasari, known mononymously as Maruthi, is an Indian director, screenwriter, producer who works primarily in Telugu cinema. He is well-known for directing low budget films like Ee Rojullo and Bus Stop. Maruthi is associated with Maruthi Talkies, a film production house in Telugu Film Industry.

Personal life

Maruthi was born in Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh. He completed his education in Machilipatnam. Later Maruthi moved to Hyderabad after his graduation. He learnt animation and later joined DQ Entertainment International, where he was part of the first batch of animators in the city. He used to paint sign boards and numbers plates of vehicles to earn some money for his fees.

Career

Maruthi started his career as a co-producer for the film Premisthe, A Film by Aravind. Later he entered into field of distribution and distributed several films. Then he started designing Ads & designs. At the time Chiranjeevi heard about him and asked him to design a flag for the Praja Rajyam Party and also other promotional ads for the party. He has also gave a logo for Athadu.[2] In 2011, Ram Gopal Varma made Dongala Mutha with 5D camera in a cheaper budget which was attracted by maruthi. He then decided to start a low Budget film and worked on the script. In 2012, with in a short span, Ee Rojullo was released marking the debut of Maruthi. Upon its release, Ee Rojullo mostly gained positive response from the critics. Made on a budget of 50lakhs, it had collected more than 10crores. The movie was one of the most successful Tollywood films in 2012. Later, in November 2012 his second Directorial Venture Bus Stop was released and declared as a Hit. In 2013, Maruthi wrote and produced Prema Katha Chitram under Maruthi Talkies introducing his camera man J.Prabhakar Reddy as director. Prema Katha Chitram was a sudden hit by collecting a gross of 20 crores. He produced several films like Prema Katha Chitram, Romance, Mahesh, Villa-2, Love You Bangaram, Green Signal. His next film as Director is Kotha Janta starring Allu Sirish in lead role. His next venture with Venkatesh has been announced and titled as Babu Bangaram.Regular shoot of this project starts in February 2016. He did as a writer, screenplay for Bhadram Be Careful Brotheru which was critical success, His next Telugu project with Nani named Bhale Bhale Magadivoy was released and declared a super hit with Nani's brilliant acting. In 2014, he announced a project titled Radha starring Venkatesh and Nayantara in the lead roles. Consequently, a writer alleged that Maruthi copied his story and filed a case at the writers' association. Though Maruthi denied copying the story, the film was later shelved.
Manikandan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Manikandan
Born 29 November 1983 
Other names Boys Manikandan
Occupation Actor
Years active 2003-2014
2021–present


Manikandan is an Indian film actor, who has appeared in Tamil language films. He has acted in films including Boys (2003) and Kicha Vayasu 16 (2005).

Career

Manikanda, a visual communications graduate who had featured in Kala’s dance troupe doing stage shows, was selected by Shankar to feature in his coming-of-age film Boys after impressing in auditions. He shot for the film throughout 2002 alongside fellow debutants Siddharth, Genelia D'Souza, Bharath, Nakul and Thaman. The story centred on six youngsters, conveying a message about the importance of a good education and career over other distractions, such as romance and sex, and marked a move away from Shankar's usual brand of vigilante films, gaining much publicity prior to release The film opened to mixed reviews but became successful at the box office, with reviewers noting the ensemble cast as "excellent". In the following years, while the other five debut actors have been successful, Manikandan has struggled to receive acclaim and feature in high-profile films.

Notably, director Shankar revealed that Manikandan was edged by Bharath to star in Balaji Sakthivel's Kaadhal (2004), which had won Bharath significant acclaim. Manikandan subsequently received offers to feature as the lead actor in Kadhal FM (2005) and then alongside Simran in Kicha Vayasu 16, but both films had low key releases and fared poorly at the box office. He has since starred in several low-budget films, including Gurusamy and Kaadhal 2014.
M. Night Shyamalan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

M. Night Shyamalan
Shyamalan at the 2016 WonderCon
Born
Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan
August 6, 1970 (age 50)

MahƩ, India
Nationality American[1]
Occupation

Filmmaker
philanthropist
actor
Years active 1992–present
Spouse(s)

Bhavna Vaswani
​(m. 1992)​
Children 3

Manoj Nelliyattu "M. Night" Shyamalan (/ĖˆŹƒÉ‘ĖməlɑĖn/ SHAH-mə-lahn; born August 6, 1970) is an American filmmaker, philanthropist, and actor. He is known for making original films with contemporary supernatural plots and twist endings. He was born in MahĆ©, Pondicherry, India, and raised in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania. The cumulative gross of his films exceeds $3 billion globally.

He made his directorial debut in 1992 with his first movie Praying with Anger. His second movie was the comedy-drama film Wide Awake (1998). His most well-received films include the supernatural thriller The Sixth Sense (1999), the superhero thriller Unbreakable (2000), and the science fiction thriller Signs (2002). For The Sixth Sense, Shyamalan received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director and the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Afterward, Shyamalan released a series of poorly received but sometimes financially successful movies, including the period-piece thriller The Village (2004), the dark fantasy Lady in the Water (2006), the eco-thriller The Happening (2008), The Last Airbender (2010) (an adaptation based on the first season of the Nickelodeon animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender), and the science fiction film After Earth (2013). Following the financial failure of After Earth, Shyamalan's career was revived with the release of the found footage horror film The Visit (2015), the psychological thriller Split (2016), and the superhero thriller Glass (2019). With a total budget of $34 million between them, these three films earned a combined box office of $625 million. Glass is the third and final chapter of his Unbreakable film series, which commenced in 2000.

In addition to his directorial work, Shyamalan was story creator and a producer for the horror film Devil (2010). Shyamalan was also called in for an uncredited rewrite for the teen film She's All That (1999) and also served as a writer for the film Stuart Little (1999). He is also one of the executive producers and occasional director of Wayward Pines and the critically acclaimed series Servant.

Shyamalan is also known for filming and setting his films in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Most of his commercially successful films were co-produced and released by Walt Disney Studios' Touchstone and Hollywood Pictures and Universal imprints. In 2008, Shyamalan was awarded the Padma Shri by the government of India.

Shyamalan's next two motion pictures are slated to be released under Universal in 2021 (Old) and 2023.
Early life

Shyamalan was born in MahĆ©, India, a town in the Union Territory of Pondicherry. The son of Indian parents, his father, Dr. Nelliyattu C. Shyamalan, is a Malayali neurologist from MahĆ© and a JIPMER graduate his mother, Dr. Jayalakshmi, an ethnic Tamil, is an OB-GYN.

Shyamalan's parents emigrated to the United States when he was six weeks old. Shyamalan was raised in his hometown of Penn Valley, Pennsylvania. Shyamalan was raised Hindu. He attended the private Roman Catholic grammar school Waldron Mercy Academy, followed by the Episcopal Academy, a private Episcopal high school located at the time in Merion Station, Pennsylvania. Shyamalan earned the New York University Merit Scholarship in 1988, and was also a National Merit Scholar. Shyamalan is an alumnus of New York University Tisch School of the Arts in Manhattan, graduating in 1992. It was while studying there that he adopted "Night" as his second name.

Shyamalan had an early desire to be a filmmaker when he was given a Super 8 camera at a young age. Though his father wanted him to follow in the family practice of medicine, his mother encouraged him to follow his passion. By the time he was seventeen, he had made forty-five home movies. On each DVD release of his films, beginning with The Sixth Sense and with the exception of Lady in the Water, he has included a scene from one of these childhood movies, which, he feels, represents his first attempt at the same kind of film.
Career
Film

Shyamalan at a press conference
for The Happening in 2008.

Shyamalan made his first film, the semi-autobiographical drama Praying with Anger, while still a student at NYU, using money borrowed from family and friends. He wrote and directed his second movie, Wide Awake. His parents were the film's associate producers. The drama dealt with a ten-year-old Catholic schoolboy (Joseph Cross) who, after the death of his grandfather (Robert Loggia), searches for God. The film's supporting cast included Dana Delany and Denis Leary as the boy's parents, as well as Rosie O'Donnell, Julia Stiles, and Camryn Manheim. Wide Awake was filmed in a school Shyamalan attended as a child and earned 1999 Young Artist Award nominations for Best Drama, and, for Cross, Best Performance. Only in limited release, the film grossed $305,704 in theaters, against a $6 million budget.

That same year Shyamalan co-wrote the screenplay for Stuart Little with Greg Brooker. In 2013, he revealed he was the ghostwriter for the 1999 film She's All That, a teen comedy starring Freddie Prinze Jr. and Rachel Leigh Cook. On June 17, 2013, Jack Lechner (who served as Miramax's head of development in the late 1990s) confirmed that both Shyamalan and Fleming contributed to the script: Fleming wrote the initial script that Miramax bought while Shyamalan did an uncredited rewrite (doing more than "a polish") that got the film green-lit. Lechner reiterated that content from both writers was included in the final cut of the film.

Shyamalan gained international recognition when he wrote and directed 1999's The Sixth Sense, which become the second-highest grossing horror movie of all time. He became a director whose name could, like Spielberg, market a film. The Sixth Sense was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.

In July 2000, on The Howard Stern Show, Shyamalan said he had met with Spielberg and was in early talks to write the script for the fourth Indiana Jones film. This would have given Shyamalan a chance to work with his longtime idol. After the film fell through, Shyamalan later said it was too "tricky" to arrange and "not the right thing" for him to do.

Shyamalan followed The Sixth Sense by writing and directing Unbreakable, released in 2000. It was a stealth comic book movie within a thriller and was both critically and financially successful.

Shyamalan's name was linked with the 2001 film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, but it conflicted with the production of Unbreakable. In July 2006, while doing press tours for Lady in the Water, Shyamalan had said he was still interested in directing one of the last two Harry Potter films: "The themes that run through it...the empowering of children, a positive outlook...you name it, it falls in line with my beliefs", Shyamalan said. "I enjoy the humor in it. When I read the first Harry Potter and was thinking about making it, I had a whole different vibe in my head of it".

His 2002 film was Signs, where he also played Ray Reddy. It was regarding how a man regains his faith in God during an alien invasion. It was both critically and financial successful and grossed $408 million from a budget of $72 million.

His next movie was The Village (2004). It was regarding an isolated community living in the woods. Although it received mixed reviews, it was financially successful as it grossed $257 million from a budget of $60 million.

M. Night Shyamalan and Bryce Dallas Howard at the Spanish premiere of The Village (in the San SebastiĆ”n International Film Festival, 2006).

After the release of The Village in 2004, Shyamalan had been planning a film adaptation of Yann Martel's novel Life of Pi with 20th Century Fox, but later backed out so that he could make Lady in the Water. "I love that book. I mean, it's basically [the story of] a kid born in the same city as me [Pondicherry, India] — it almost felt predestined", Shyamalan said. "But I was hesitant because the book has kind of a twist ending. And I was concerned that as soon as you put my name on it, everybody would have a different experience. Whereas if someone else did it, it would be much more satisfying, I think. Expectations, you've got to be aware of them. I'm wishing them all great luck. I hope they make a beautiful movie".

Released in 2006, Lady in the Water, a bedtime story about a water nymph and an apartment superintendent was both critically and financially unsuccessful.

Next was the film The Happening, a B-movie about trees killing humans featuring a teacher Elliott Moore and his wife fleeing from contaminated cities into the countryside. It was critically unsuccessful but financially successful as it as it grossed $163 million from a budget of $48 million.

In 2010, he directed The Last Airbender, based on the first season of the Nickelodeon TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender. It was critically unsuccessful-with significant criticism aimed at its casting of white actors in Asian and Native American-inspired roles-but financially successful as it as it grossed $319 million from a budget of $150 million.

In July 2008, it was announced that Shyamalan had partnered with Media Rights Capital to form a production company called Night Chronicles. Shyamalan would produce, but not direct, one film a year for three years. The first of the three films was Devil, a supernatural thriller directed by siblings John and Drew Dowdle. The script was written by Brian Nelson, based on an original idea from Shyamalan. The movie was about a group of people stuck in an elevator with the devil, and starred Chris Messina.[29] The film was not previewed by critics before its release.

In 2013, Shyamalan directed the film After Earth, based on a script by Gary Whitta and starring Will Smith and Jaden Smith. It was received poorly by critics, and was financially unsuccessful. Shyamalan later described his thinking in 2013 as full of doubts, introspection and questioning.

Shyamalan announced in January 2014 that he would be working again with Bruce Willis on a film titled Labor of Love. Shyamalan's reputation was poor and most Hollywood studios passed on his self-funded, low-budget horror-comedy The Visit, featuring a brother and sister who are sent to their grandparents’ remote Pennsylvania farm for a weeklong trip. After revising the film, which Shyamalan had shot in secret, Universal picked up rights to The Visit. The movie went on gross $98 million worldwide on a budget of $5 million - the fifth-highest grossing thriller film of the year. Universal released the movie on September 11, 2015.

In 2017, Shyamalan released the movie Split. It was both critically and financial successful and grossed $279 million from a budget of $9 million.

In 2019, he released Glass as a sequel to his 19-year trilogy inclusive of previous films Unbreakable and Split. The movie grossed over $247 million worldwide.

His next film, Old, is set to be released on July 23, 2021. The film is slated to star Gael Garcia Bernal, Eliza Scanlen, Thomasin McKenzie, Aaron Pierre, Alex Wolff, Abbey Lee, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Ken Leung, Vicky Krieps, Rufus Sewell, Embeth Davidtz and Emun Elliott.
Television

Shyamalan is the executive producer on the Apple TV series Servant. Shyamalan directed several episodes, including the pilot. Servant was renewed for a second series in advance of the season one premiere. The second season of Servant completed filming in fall 2020 under COVID protocols.

Shyamalan was also instrumental in the creation of the Fox science fiction series Wayward Pines (2015–2016), for which he executive produced and directed the pilot episode. The series became the most-watched show of that summer.

In 2016, TNT first announced that Shyamalan would be responsible for a reboot series for Tales from the Crypt. As of June 2017 the series had been cancelled due to a number of legal reasons.

He also appeared in an episode of the series Entourage.
Philanthropy

Shyamalan cofounded the M. Night Shyamalan Foundation with his wife, Dr. Bhavna Shyamalan, in 2001. The M. Night Shyamalan Foundation supports grassroots work by identifying and empowering emerging leaders in their communities removing the barriers created by poverty and inequality in their communities.
Controversy
Sci-Fi Channel hoax

In 2004, Shyamalan was involved in a media hoax with Sci-Fi Channel, which was eventually uncovered by the press. Sci-Fi claimed in its "documentary" special The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan, shot on the set of The Village, that as a child, Shyamalan had been dead for nearly a half hour while drowned in a frozen pond in an accident, and that upon being rescued he had experiences of communicating with spirits, fueling an obsession with the supernatural.

In truth, Shyamalan developed the hoax with Sci-Fi, going so far as having Sci-Fi staffers sign non-disclosure agreements with a $5 million fine attached and requiring Shyamalan's office to formally approve each step. Neither the childhood accident nor a supposed rift with the filmmakers ever occurred. The hoax included a nonexistent Sci-Fi publicist, "David Westover", whose name appeared on press releases regarding the special. Sci-Fi also fed false news stories to the Associated Press, Zap2It, and the New York Post, among others.

After an AP reporter confronted Sci-Fi Channel president Bonnie Hammer at a press conference, Hammer admitted the hoax, saying it was part of a guerrilla marketing campaign to generate pre-release publicity for The Village. This prompted Sci-Fi's parent company, NBC Universal, to state that the undertaking was "not consistent with our policy at NBC. We would never intend to offend the public or the press and we value our relationship with both."
Plagiarism accusations

In 2003, a Pennsylvanian screenwriter named Robert McElhenney (no relation to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator and producer, Rob McElhenney) sued Shyamalan, alleging similarities between Signs and McIlhinney's unpublished script Lord of the Barrens: The Jersey Devil. In 2004, Margaret Peterson Haddix claimed that The Village has numerous similarities to her young adult novel Running Out of Time (1996), prompting discussions with publisher Simon & Schuster about filing a lawsuit. In response to both allegations, Disney and Shyamalan's production company Blinding Edge issued statements calling the claims "meritless".

Orson Scott Card has claimed that many elements of The Sixth Sense were plagiarized from his novel Lost Boys, although he has said that enough had been changed that there was no point in suing.
Personal life

Shyamalan married Dr. Bhavna Vaswani, a fellow student whom he met at New York University. The couple have three daughters, including director Ishana and musician Saleka. His production company, Blinding Edge Pictures, is located in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. Blinding Edge has produced Servant, Wayward Pines, Devil, The Happening, Lady in the Water, The Village, Signs, Unbreakable, The Last Airbender, After Earth, The Visit, Split and Glass. It is run by Shyamalan and Ashwin Rajan. His cousin is actor Ritesh Rajan.

Shyamalan is a season ticket holder of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Shyamalan and his family live near Philadelphia at Ravenwood, a 125-acre estate, built around a 27,000-square-foot 1937 Georgian Revival house.

Saleka Shyamalan, known professionally as Saleka, is one of Night's three daughters. Born in 1996, she's an American R&B singer and songwriter. Saleka studied classical piano as a child but decided to pursue a singing and songwriting career at the age of 16.She studied Literary Arts and Music at Brown University and has opened for acts like Boyz II Men, Baby Rose and Summer Walker. Upon debuting her first single, "Clarity", in September 2020, Refinery29 called Saleka "a new artist to watch". Saleka's sister, Ishana, directed the music video for "Clarity".
Acting credits
YearTitleRoleNotes
1992 Praying with Anger Dev Raman
1999 The Sixth Sense Dr. Hill
2000 Unbreakable Stadium Drug Dealer
2002 Signs Ray Reddy
2004 The Village Jay - Guard at Desk
2006 Lady in the Water Vick Ran
2008 The Happening Joey Voice role
2010 The Last Airbender Firebender Uncredited
2017 Split Jai
2019 Glass

Television
2015–2016 Wayward Pines Yes Yes Episode: "Where Paradise Is Home"
2019–present Servant Yes Yes Episodes "Reborn" and "Jericho"

Acting credits
YearTitleRoleNotes
2007 Entourage Himself Episode "Sorry, Harvey"
2019–2020 This Is Us Himself Episodes "The Pool: Part Two" and "A Hell of a Week: Part Two"
2019–present Servant Delivery Man Episode "Reborn"

Music video

He has also directed the official music video for Grammy nominated singer/songwriter Andra Day's Rise Up [Inspiration Version] which has over 79 million views as of January 2021.
Critical analysis and box office performance

The Sixth Sense gave Shyamalan the reputation of, Rolling Stone wrote, "the guy who makes the scary movies with a twist". In 2008, Shyamalan said it was a common misperception that "all my movies have twist endings, or that they're all scary. All my movies are spiritual and all have an emotional perspective". He nonetheless avoided plot twists for years, until again using them starting with The Visit in 2015. Rolling Stone wrote in 2018,

In his twenties, [Shyamalan] says, "I don't think you could have told me that making thrillers for your whole life wasn't a bad thing. At first it was a sense of, 'Hey, I can make anything.' But that’s hypocritical, because when I pick up an Agatha Christie novel in my library, I have a strong expectation. So, I get it. . . . When I became happy with the idea of making thrillers for the rest of my life, everything went right."

After the release of The Village, Slate's Michael Agger noted that Shyamalan was following "an uncomfortable pattern" of "making fragile, sealed-off movies that fell apart when exposed to outside logic".

After the release of The Happening, The Guardian's Kim Newman noted Shyamalan's earnestness and questioned, "Can it be a kind of racism that the Indian-born, Philadelphia-raised auteur is hammered for his apparent character (or funny name) rather more than, say, Quentin Tarantino or Spike Lee?"

Shyamalan has also won numerous Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Director, Worst Screenplay, and Worst Film in 2006 and 2010, while being nominated in 2008 for The Happening and 2013 for After Earth.[citation needed] In 2016 he was also nominated for The Razzie Redeemer Award.

Three of his movies, namely The Village, Lady in the Water and Split, have been chosen in the Annual Top 10 Lists of Cahiers du CinĆ©ma.

Critical reception
1992 Praying with Anger N/A N/A
1998 Wide Awake 42% (31 reviews) N/A
1999 The Sixth Sense 86% (152 reviews) 64 (35 reviews)
2000 Unbreakable 70% (168 reviews) 62 (31 reviews)
2002 Signs 74% (234 reviews) 59 (36 reviews)
2004 The Village 43% (218 reviews) 44 (40 reviews)
2006 Lady in the Water 25% (212 reviews) 36 (36 reviews)
2008 The Happening 18% (177 reviews) 34 (38 reviews)
2010 The Last Airbender 5% (188 reviews) 20 (33 reviews)
2013 After Earth 11% (202 reviews) 33 (41 reviews)
2015 The Visit 68% (224 reviews) 55 (34 reviews)
2016 Split 77% (282 reviews) 62 (47 reviews)
2019 Glass 37% (373 reviews) 43 (53 reviews)

Box-office performance
YearTitleDistributorBudgetBox-offic]
1998 Wide Awake Miramax $6 million $305,704
1999 The Sixth Sense Buena Vista Pictures $40 million $673 million
2000 Unbreakable $75 million $248 million
2002 Signs $72 million $408 million
2004 The Village $60 million $257 million
2006 Lady in the Water Warner Bros. $70 million $73 million
2008 The Happening 20th Century Fox $48 million $163 million
2010 The Last Airbender Paramount Pictures $150 million $319 million
2013 After Earth Sony Pictures Releasing $130 million $251 million
2015 The Visit Universal Pictures $5 million $98 million
2016 Split $9 million $279 million
2019 Glass $20 million $247 million

Awards and nomination
Collaborations
CollaboratorThe Sixth Sense
(2000)Signs
(2013)The Visit
(2015)Split
(2016)Glass
(2019)TotalJason Blum    3
Tak Fujimoto    3
James Newton Howard         8
Barry Mendel    3
Sam Mercer        7
Bruce Willis     4

Pop culture and racism

In 2013, the British Film Institute (BFI) said that one of Shyamalan's challenges is presenting works that "(ask) for childlike wonder and rapt attention", seeking contemplation and childlike belief when popular culture has turned toward shorter attention spans with "snark and testosterone-fuelled arrested adolescence".

BFI also discussed the impact of racism on Shyamalan's career, pointing to frequent "'humorously' mangled rendering(s) of his apparently hard-to-pronounce second name and questioned "Why is one of the only truly interesting mainstream movie-makers of the Noughties so publicly derided whilst so many mediocrities get a pass?" By 2017, Vice said that "Shamalamadingdong" had become the "agreed-upon mockery of his name". Vice also criticized mispronunciations of his name, pointing to a Robot Chicken sketch on Shyamalan that did so repeatedly. Vice also said there was no reason to have Shyamalan's character in the sketch speak with an accent when Shyamalan never has. They also criticized the sketch's repeated mispronunciations of his name, and its conclusion with a "three-word condemnation of his whole career": "What a twist." Vice said that "it's time we stop treating him like a (shitty, racist, entirely undeserved when compared to other directors who continue to bomb with no end in sight) joke, and examine the entirely coincidental fact that Hollywood's most notable brown director is also the one we seem unwilling to forgive."

BFI asked if critical attacks are the result of egotistical statements on Shyamalan's part. They question whether his strong statements of self-assurance coupled with the remarkable success of The Sixth Sense set up a fall from grace which was soon realized when a run of very successful films (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs and The Village) seemingly collapsed with a string of critical failures (Lady in the Water, The Happening, The Last Airbender, and After Earth).

BFI said that "in a cultural climate in which a particularly vulgar form of atheism has become common, his polymorphous, holistic sense of the spiritual has rendered his work deeply unfashionable." They also mentioned that "his supposedly overweening self-assurance seems to derive from an uncynical enthusiasm, even awe for the power of storytelling. He is hardly the first director reputed to have a healthy sense of self-worth. The emphasis on the teller rather than the tales obscures the commercially and artistically successful run of films he had with The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs and The Village."

In 2019, Tim Griveing of The Washington Post said that "his confidence was interpreted as arrogance by some, especially after he cast himself in 'Lady in the Water' as a brilliant writer whose book is prophesied as a world-saver." Bryce Dallas Howard, who has worked twice with Shyamalan, differs: "Night is not an arrogant person," she said. "Night is really creatively ambitious. Very ambitious. He will engage in a conversation — he will talk through it, he will work through it — but he might take a leap. The most important thing in the world is: You just don’t want to make something that’s ignorable." Griveing continued, "Howard, who expressed pride in him for forging ahead despite his turn among critics, noted how rare it was for such a young filmmaker to write, direct and produce original material. She wondered whether that placed a bigger target on his back, as his reputation for doggedness was perpetuated within the industry and reinforced by critics."
Books

While working on his film The Happening, Shyamalan developed an interest in improving the delivery of education in American schools. He hired doctoral student James Richardson to do most of the background research and as a result published I Got Schooled: The Unlikely Story of How a Moonlighting Movie Maker Learned the Five Keys to Closing America's Education Gap. John Willol of NPR reviewed the book by stating " I Got Schooled is a breezily written, research driven call to change America's approach to education. Shyamalan is smart and sincere, and his innovative ideas are unbound by the educational establishment."

Milind Gawali

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Milind Gawali
Born 16 June 1966

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation Actor, director, television actor
Years active 1984–present
Spouse(s) Deepa Gawali
Children one daughter


Milind Gawali (Born 16 June 1966) is an Indian film actor, director and TV actor. He has acted in different Marathi, Hindi and Malayalam films and Television serials. He is known for playing Aniruddha Deshmukh in Star Pravah's TV Series Aai Kuthe Kay Karte.

As a child, he acted in two Children films, Hum Bachche Hindustan Ke and Govind Saraiya's Waqt Se Pehle Asan adult, he performed in the Hindi Film Vartaman directed by Pradeep Maini, followed by Hindi film Anumati, Directed by Baburam Ishara came his way. He was invited by Sanjeev Bhatacharya to Act in his ongoing Hindi Serial Campus a Television Serial on Zee TV which became very popular and one after another serial came his way, like Parivartan directed by Vijay Panday, Aahat and C.I.D. directed By B.P. Singh, Balaji Telefilm's Bandhan, Itihas, Kahani Terrii Merrii, simultaneously he started Doing Marathi films like Nilambari, Aai, Maratha Battalion etc.

Early life

He did his primary schooling from Fatima High School, Vidhya Vihar, and secondary schooling from Shardashram High school, Dadar, First-year College was Ambedkar College for Commerce, Second year in Kirti College, Prabhadevi, and three-year secondary till the final Year college from Lala Lajpat Rai College of Commerce at Worli, Haji Ali and Post Graduation i.e. M.Com. from The University of Mumbai.
Selected filmography
Telefilms

No.serialDirector1 He Daiva Janile Kuni Manohar Sarvankar
2 Judgement Govind Saraiya
3 Aur Ek Kahani Raju Parsekar
4 Sweekar Harish Tulaskar
5 Aksar Swapna Joshi
6 Arpan Kumar Soni
7 Toote Rishte
8 Raat Ratnakar Matkari
9 Khushboo Swapna Joshi Waghmare

Awards and nominations

Won an award at the Honolulu Film Festival for a short film called 'Did You Notice?' Vishesh Lakshavedi Kalakar by Zee Talkies for Marathi Film "Amhi Ka Tisare", Vishesh Lakshavedi Kalakar by Sankruti Kala Darpan for Marathi Film "Amhi Ka Tisar", Best Actor Nomination by Maharashtra State for Marathi Film "He Khel Nashibache", Best Actor Nomination by Zee Talkies for Marathi Film "Bhavachi Laxmi", Best Supporting Actor Nomination by Zee Talkies for Marathi Film "Sakha Bhau Pakka Vairi".

Mukesh Rishi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mukesh Rishi
Mukesh Rishi during a peace rally in Mumbai on 20 November 2011
Born

19 April 1956,
Occupation Actor
Years active 1988–present
Home town Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Spouse(s) Keshni Rishi

Mukesh Rishi is a Bollywood actor who worked primarily in Hindi films and since then primarily in Telugu cinema. He has also appeared in Malayalam, Punjabi and Tamil films. He got his first break in Hindi in 1988 and has since, established himself as a leading character actor. Although he started his career in films as a villain, he has diversified into positive roles. He joins a list of non-Telugu speaking actors, such as Amrish Puri, Puneet Issar, Sharat Saxena, Pradeep Rawat, and Sayaji Shinde who have established themselves in Telugu movies.
Early life
Rishi was born in Satwari, Jammu. After his graduation from Government College, Sector 11, Chandigarh, and working for two years in Mumbai, Rishi went to work in Fiji where he met his wife of Fijian-Indian descent. Her family ran a traditional departmental store.

After marriage they went to New Zealand, where Mukesh started his career as a model.[2] However, he could hardly find time for modelling due to a busy work schedule and was dissatisfied with his modelling assignments. After seven years, he returned to Mumbai, India and enrolled in Roshan Taneja's acting school.
Mukesh Jadhav
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mukesh Jadhav
Mukesh Jadhav on the set of movie Pratichhaya, 2016
Born
Mukesh B. Jadhav
22-9-1967

Occupation Film director, screenwriter, actor
Years active 1989 –present

Mukesh Jadhav (born 1967) is an Indian film actor, director, and screenwriter.

Career

Mukesh a theatre actor, writer, and director, began his career in the year 1989, when he was doing his masters in Chemistry at Mithibai College, Mumbai University. He has received many awards for best actor and best director at a National level for his theatre productions.

Post which he went on to act in serials such as Woh, Ssshhhh...Koi Hai, Karma (TV series), Aahat and Gudgudee.

Mukesh along with his acting career, joined director Kundan Shah as an associate director for films such as Kya Kehna, Dil Hai Tumhaara and Loveria. He has worked with director Keval Singh on the Indo-Canadian production The City. He has writing credits on films such as Scotland Express , Dil Hai Tumhaara and many television drama serials.

His directorial debut was with the Marathi feature film Kachru Mazha Bapa. He has written and directed several TV ad films, musical shows, corporate events, documentary and corporate films.

Mukesh has also professionally trained actors like - Preity Zinta, Vivek Oberoi, Shreyas Talpade and Vidyut Jamwal.

In 2011 he received the Star Pravah Gurudakshina award, after being nominated by Shreyas Talpade.
Meesai Murugesan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Meesai Murugesan
Born
I. S. Murugesan
13 January 1930

Idigarai Village, Coimbatore
Died 8 November 2014 (aged 84)

Vadapalani, Chennai, India
Nationality Indian
Occupation Actor, Musician
Spouse(s) Kannama
Parent(s) Subramaniam Mudaliar, Ponnammal

Meesai Murugesan was a veteran actor and musician who appeared in Tamil films. He starred in more than 100 films and has done supporting roles in various films.

Music career

He started his career by playing the 'Kottankuchi' (coconut shell), alongside great musicians like K. P. Sundarambal, M. K. T. Bhagavathar, T. M. Soundararajan and Seerkazhi Govindarajan. He was popular for creating shrill sound effects in Nenjam Marappathillai and footfall of the horse in "Rajavin Paarvai Raniyin Pakkam" song in MGR-Saroja Devi's Anbe Vaa. He has played instruments for music directors like M. S. Viswanathan, Ilayaraja and Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan.

He was a carnatic artist and had learned to play over 25 instruments. He also ran a one-man band "Apoorva Thalavaithiyangal" and held several concerts across the world including Europe, Canada, the United States and Russia.
Film career

His career spans over 100 films and he is famous for his roles in Vijay's Poove Unakkaga, Kamal Hassan's Unnal Mudiyum Thambi, Sathyaraj's Amaidhi Padai, Pandiarajan's Aan Paavam and much more. He earned the name "Meesai Murugesan" after sported a thick moustache in his first film Sugamana Raagangal.
Awards

He was conferred Kalaimamani by the Tamil Nadu State government for his contribution to the cinema.

Death

He died due to ill health and blood clots in his brain on 8 November 2014. He was 84 years of age and is survived by his wife, a son and two daughters.

Makarand Mane

National Award-winning Marathi director Makarand Mane to make Hindi debut

Makarand Mane (Photo: instagram)

Mumbai– National Award-winning Marathi director Makarand Mane will make his debut in Hindi films soon.

The shoot for Mane’s yet-to-be titled romantic Hindi film is happening in Pune.

Without revealing much about the project, the director, whose film “Ringan” had won the Best Feature Film in Marathi at the 63rd National Film Awards, shared: “I loved the simplicity and relatability of the script. As soon as I heard it for the first time, and I was immediately on board.”

Actor Vaibhav Tatwawaadi, known for featuring in Bollywood films such as “Hunterrr” and “Bajirao Mastani”, will star in the film.

“As soon as I heard the narration, I was hooked on to it, it’s a feel-good film and will appeal to all. I have always wanted to work with Makarand Mane as I like his sensibilities with the way he deals with the subject,” he said.

He will be sharing the screen with actress Anjali Patil. “The film’s story is absolutely relatable to this generation and this being the passion project of Autumn Breeze Filmz (producer), I was absolutely excited to be part of it, to be associated with people who share their passion and values for cinema.” (IANS)

Mohan Raja

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mohan Raja
Years active 2001–present
Relatives Jayam Ravi (brother)

Mohan Raja is an Indian film director and a story writer who has primarily worked in the Tamil film industry. After making his debut with the Telugu movie Hanuman Junction (2001), he went on to remake several successful Telugu movies into Tamil, beginning with Jayam (2003) which also launched his brother Ravi as a leading actor. Raja then collaborated with Ravi for three consecutive commercially successful movies, M. Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi (2004), Something Something... Unakkum Enakkum (2006) and Santosh Subramaniam (2008), all of which were remakes of successful Telugu movies. After a period of mixed success, he returned with his first original script, Thani Oruvan (2015) which went on to become one of the most profitable Tamil movies of 2015. Born 15 January 1976.
Career
2001–2004: Early career and initial success

As a result of his father's involvement in the film industry, Raja regularly visited Vauhini Studios as a teenager to watch his father work as a film editor. Likewise, Raja's role as the president of the Dubbing Film Producers Association meant that Raja was exposed to world cinema, before he attended the Film Institute to complete his education. He made his directorial debut through the Telugu action comedy film, Hanuman Junction (2001), a remake of the Malayalam film Thenkasipattanam (2000). Featuring an ensemble cast led by Arjun and Jagapati Babu, the film told the story of two childhood friends in a village who fall in love with the same woman and the project went on to become one of the most profitable Telugu films of the year. Raja won positive reviews for his work, with Jeevi of Idlebrain.com stating "credit goes to Raja for narrating the story in such a way that all the viewers understand the complex and randomly changing relationships clearly" and that "the film looks solid in most of the scenes", while adding that Raja knows "the mass pulse".[3] Raja then moved on to make his first Tamil film, Jayam (2003), which was a remake of the successful 2002 Telugu film of the same name. A romantic thriller set in a village, the film was produced by Raja's father Mohan and starred his younger brother, Ravi, in the lead role alongside Sadha, who had featured in the original version. Jayam opened to mixed reviews, with a critic from The Hindu stating the film gave a sense of "dĆ©jĆ  vu" but added that Raja's "treatment is interesting in patches". The film went on to become a surprise success at the box office, and prompted both Raja and Ravi to adopt "Jayam" to their stage names as a prefix, while their home production studio was renamed Jayam Company.

Raja then worked with his father and brother on the production of M. Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi (2004), a remake of the Telugu film Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi (2003). Focusing on the relationship of a single mother and son, the film also featured kick-boxing as a backdrop and was extensively shot in Malaysia. Nadhiya made a comeback to Tamil films by portraying Ravi's mother, while actress Asin made her debut in Tamil films with the project. The film opened in October 2004 to positive reviews, with Behindwoods.com stating "Raja has done well for his second film" and "he has well defined the relationship between a mother and a son in this movie", while The Hindu wrote that "casting is a main draw", praising the inclusion of Nadhiya. Rediff.com also listed the film amongst the "best Tamil films of 2004", stating that the film was "a big success". Like Jayam, M. Kumaran son of Mahalakshmi went on to become another highly profitable venture at the box office for the production house. Following the success of the film, Jayam Ravi signed on for films directed by different film makers, while Raja also stated he was looking to work for other production houses.
2006–2010: Further remakes

Raja did not sign on to make any further films, while Ravi experienced two consecutive box office failures after the success of their last collaboration. Subsequently, the duo came together for another home production titled Something Something... Unakkum Enakkum (2006), which would be a remake of Prabhu Deva's successful Telugu film, Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana. (2005). Trisha and Prabhu were signed on to play pivotal roles, with the latter being finalised after unsuccessful negotiations with several other actors. A family drama focusing on the relationship between a brother and a sister, the film told the story of how a city-bred youngster attempts to please his lover's brother. The film opened to positive reviews in July 2006, with Behindwoods.com noting Raja "should be applauded for hand picking a cast that makes the movie worth watching", while remarking that "it has everything that can well set the box office collections soaring". Likewise Sify added the film was "like a saccharine coated candy floss champion that is superbly packaged" and The Hindu stated "Raja has a way of making remakes successful". The venture went on to become profitable, and scored the third straight success for the actor-director duo. He was then signed on by Gemini Film Circuit to remake Rajkumar Hirani's Hindi film Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006) into Tamil, but the project failed to materialise.

Raja next began work on the family drama film Santosh Subramaniam (2008), a remake of the Telugu film Bommarillu (2006), after outbidding several other interested parties for the remake rights. The film's original version was made by Raja's friend, Bhaskar, who also stated that Raja would be the most apt director to remake the film into the Tamil language. Ravi and Prakash Raj were chosen again to play lead roles, while Genelia D'Souza was selected as the film's heroine, after winning acclaim for her portrayal of the role in the original version. The film revolved around a father and son relationship; where the son's choices and his ambitions to achieve something in life are subdued by his father, and Raja related the storyline back to his personal life. Santosh Subramaniam opened to positive reviews from critics, with Raja winning critical acclaim for his work. A critic from Sify.com noted "Raja, a past master at remakes, is once again a winner" and that the film "has simple charm, immensely likeable characters, and the intrinsic humour in the writing makes it a must watch". Similarly, a critic from The Hindu noted "for the fourth time in succession film-maker Raja shows he can re-make a film to suit the audiences here", stating the script was "aptly re-tuned to suit the Tamil milieu". The film also went on to be ranked amongst the Best Tamil films of the year by the Tamil Nadu State, while it also garnered four Filmfare Award nominations, including one for Best Film. Moreover, it became a very profitable venture for the makers, running for over 100 days in theatres across Tamil Nadu. The producers, AGS Entertainment, subsequently requested Raja to make another film with Ravi after Santosh Subramaniam's success, but Raja gave Ravi's dates to director Prabhu Deva to film Engeyum Kaadhal (2011).
2010–2015: Mixed success

After five consecutive successful films, Raja chose to remake the Telugu comedy film, Kick (2009) into Tamil as Thillalangadi (2010), with Ravi in the lead role. The remake rights were purchased for "astronomical sum", a month after the Telugu film's release by Raja's father, Mohan, who was set to produce the film. The film began production in mid-2009 and was shot extensively across Malaysia, with Tamannaah and Shaam signed on to play supporting roles. The film opening to mixed and negative reviews, unlike the original version, whilst Sify.com rated the film as "below average" film and added that it was "boring". Pavithra Srinivasan from Rediff.com cited the film as a "ridiculous pot-boiler" and criticised Ravi's performance as "lacking punch" and also drew criticism to the "wafer-thin story line", giving the film a mere 1.5 out of 5. Behindwoods.com cited "Raja's narration is interesting but is way too long", adding that "the ‘family’ feel which is generally present in Raja's films is missing in Thillalangadi". The film became Raja's first venture to gain predominantly negative reviews, but had an average run at the box office.

In late 2009, Raja agreed terms to work with actor Vijay, and spent ten months writing a script based on a story written by director Thirupathisamy in the early 2000s. Thirupathisamy had gone on to make the story into a Telugu film titled Azad (2000), while also began pre-production work to remake it in Tamil as Velan with Vijay and Priyanka Chopra in 2001, before he died later that year. Raja subsequently bought the remake rights and re-worked the script of Azad to suit Tamil audiences and signed on Genelia D'Souza and Hansika Motwani to play other lead roles. The film, which was retitled Velayudham, became Raja's first Tamil venture which did not include his brother in the cast and while writing the script, Raja analysed Vijay's popularity amongst children and women audience to insert certain scenes into the script. The film told the tale of a milkman who turns into a vigilante, with a human interest story as a backdrop. The film opened to positive reviews and became the third highest grossing Tamil film of 2011. A critic from Behindwoods.com noted "Raja has done a fine job of mixing all the elements that go towards making a mass hero film, though he has lost the balance a bit in the last hour", while Rediff.com noted it is "a masala entertainer that doesn't require you to tax your brain cells". In early 2012, Raja began pre-production on remaking the Tamil film Ramanaa (2002) into Hindi with Akshay Kumar and Tamannaah in the lead roles. He later opted out of the film after it went through delays and was not involved in the subsequent remake titled Gabbar Is Back (2015). Raja then briefly forayed into acting and played the father of quadruplets in the comedy thriller, Enna Satham Indha Neram (2014), directed by his friend, Guru Ramesh. Raja shot for the film for six days in Chennai but has not acted in any further venture, after the film had a low-key opening at the box office.
2015–present: Thani Oruvan (2015) and recent work

After taking a sabbatical, Raja began working on his first original script for the production house AGS Entertainment in late 2012 and was helped by the writer duo Subha. He worked on the script of Thani Oruvan (2015) for nine months, and revealed that it was based on an original idea about "a man who goes all out to hunt evil in society". He added that in "formulaic Tamil films", the protagonist would require a flashback to show a reason to fight evil or that the "hero would wait for the villain to make the first move", but noted that Thani Oruvan would eschew those typical notions seen in Tamil films. He considered several actors for the lead role but finally chose Jayam Ravi again as he wanted an actor "who would trust him blindly" because he had wanted the film to be a "career-changing film". After unsuccessful negotiations with Arya and Madhavan, Raja cast Arvind Swamy in the role of the main antagonist because he wanted "an actor whose attractiveness would act as a distraction from his evilness". Raja called the film "experimental" and "close to his heart", revealing the efforts he put into the pre-production of the project. The film began production in late 2013 and took a year and a half to complete shoot, with several delays during production. The making of the film was marred with the troubles of the original composer backing out, Sun Pictures cancelling their film distribution contract and a spat between the director and the lead actress, Nayanthara. As a result of the delays, Raja and Ravi decided to forgo their salaries for the last schedule to ensure the budget stopped escalating. The film opened in August 2015 to unanimously positive reviews, with Rediff.com noting that the script was "highly intelligent, racy and well-polished script that is perfectly executed" and added it has "flawless execution by the director that deserves all the credit". Likewise Sify.com called the film a "taut, intelligent, and deliciously twisted action drama", while The Times of India praised the "sleek filmmaking". The Hindu stated the film was a "pretty smart, pulpy thriller" and wrote it has "more style than you expect in a Mohan Raja movie". The film subsequently went on to become one of the most profitable Tamil films of 2015, as well as the biggest successes in the careers of Raja and Ravi. Raja then directed another film, titled Velaikkaran starring Sivakarthikeyan, Nayanthara and Fahadh Faasil in the lead roles. This film, being his second original film after Thani Oruvan, was released on 22 December 2017 was a box office success.Mohan raja is going to direct the Lucifer remake which is a successful movie of mollywood. Mega star Chiranjeevi is going to act in the Lucifer remake.
Style of work

Raja initially worked on official Tamil remakes of Telugu films, leading to the media nicknaming him "Remake Raja". He has stated, "Remakes aren't easy. Taking up a proven hit and making it succeed again is a challenge." While other filmmakers in Tamil cinema have often taken to plagiarism without acknowledging the source material, Raja has only worked on officially approved remake projects and his first 6 directed movies were credited to other writers. He has noted his displeasure at being referred to as "Xerox Raja" by the media, and that the constant criticism led him to make his first original script, Thani Oruvan. He works with his team of assistants to blend in changes to the script to suit the culture of Tamil audiences, and thrashes out every single shot from the original version to add or subtract sequences. Raja has been praised for his casting decisions for putting Nadhiya in a comeback role as a young mother in M. Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi and for casting Asin as the film's heroine. Meanwhile, he gave Prabhu a supporting role as a brother in Unakkum Enakkum, marking an early foray away from lead roles for Prabhu which won him acclaim from critics. Likewise, his decision to cast Arvind Swamy as an antagonist in Thani Oruvan, because of his "attractiveness" also received acclaim, following the film's success.

Raja has often attempted to make films for family entertainment, and revealed that progressively since Jayam, he has attempted to reduce scenes of glamour and vulgarity. He has also stated his intentions of appealing to all sectors of the audience and has revealed that films such as Samsaram Adhu Minsaram (1986) and Kadhalukku Mariyadhai (1997) are amongst the types of films that he aspires to make.
Mannava Balayya
From Wikipedia

Born 9 April 1930 Chavapadu,
Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India
Occupation Actor
Years active 1957–present
Known for Cinema
Spouse(s) Mannava Kamaladevi
Children Harshalatha Mohini Latha M.
Thulasi Ramprasad
Parents Mannava Guruvaiah (father) Mannava Annapoornamma (mother)

Mannava Balaiah (or Balayya) is an actor, writer, director and producer in Telugu cinema. He acted in 300 films. Brief lifesketch He was born at Chavupadu, Amaravathi mandalam, Guntur district to Mannava Guravaiah Chowdary and Annapurnamma. He studied Engineering B.E. (mechanical) in Guindy Engineering College, Chennai. Inspired by the drama during his college days, Balaiah ventured into movies with guidance from Tapi Chanakya. He made his debut as an actor with Ethuku Pai Ethu – a social film directed by Tapi Chanakya and made by Sarathi Studios. Films such as Parvati Kalyanam, Bhagyadevata, Kumkuma Rekha established him as an actor. ANR played Narada role in Parvati Kalyanam. There was yet another film they acted together, after a while, Chenchu Lakshmi film with ANR and Anjali in lead roles and directed by B.A.Subba Rao for his own banner, Parvati Kalyanam with Balaiah and Krishna Kumari were interesting mythological films. He acted in nearly three hundred films and established Amrutha films in 1970. A play penned by him Nalupu Telupu (Black-white) later made into Chelleli Kapuram and received Gold Nandi award from Andhra Pradesh Government. Even films like Neramu Siksha, Annadammula Katha were penned by him. Well known for his histrionics, Balaiah became a name to reckon with in character oriented roles. He was awarded with the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award for the year 2012.
Mohit Sehgal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mohit Sehgal
Born
Mohit Sehgal

Delhi
Nationality Indian
Occupation Actor
Years active 2008–Present
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Spouse(s)
​(m. 2016)​

Mohit Sehgal is an Indian celebrity known for his acting work in Hindi television industry. He is currently playing the role of Jay Mathur in naagin 5

Career

After an unnoticed role in the 2007 film Delhii Heights, Sehgal entered TV industry playing Samrat Shergill, one of the leads opposite Sanaya Irani in the daily soap Miley Jab Hum Tum (2008–2010) which aired on Star One.

In 2010 he hosted Zara Nachke Dikha and Meethi Choori No 1.[5] After participating in Zor Ka Jhatka: Total Wipeout, he played supporting roles in Saath Nibhaana Saathiya and Parichay — Nayee Zindagi Kay Sapno Ka.

Sehgal next portrayed Siddharth in Star Plus's Mujhse Kuch Kethi Yeh Khamoshiyaan (2012–2013). In last quarter of 2013, he was chosen to enact the role of Haider Sheikh opposite Ketki Kadam in romantic drama Qubool Hai until his exit in 2014. He was also seen in Tumhari Paakhi in the character of Karan.

He was then roped in as the lead Somendra Singh in Sarojini (2015–2016) opposite Shiny Doshi. Sehgal next appeared in Box Cricket League before emerging as a second runner-up with Irani through participation in the dance reality series Nach Baliye.

In July 2017, he signed Star Plus's Love Ka Hai Intezaar where he was cast as Ayaan Mehta alongside Preetika Rao. After a 3 year sabbatical, he returned to screen with the fifth season of Naagin in 2020 featuring him as Jay Mathur, an antagonist alongside Surbhi Chandna and Sharad Malhotra.

Personal life

On 25 January 2016, he married his long time girlfriend Sanaya Irani in Goa with whom he fell in love during the shooting of Miley Jab Hum Tum.
Maniyanpilla Raju

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maniyanpilla Raju
Born
Sudheer Kumar
20 April 1955

Thycaud, Trivandrum, India
Nationality Indian

Occupation

Years active 1976–present
Spouse(s) Indira
Children 2
Parent(s)
Shekharan Nair
Saraswati Amma

Sudheer Kumar (born 20 April 1955), better known by his stage name Maniyanpilla Raju, is an Indian film actor and producer who works in Malayalam film industry. His debut film was Mohiniyaattam in 1976. He has played a variety of roles as a character actor, appearing in over 400 films. His stage name was derived from the character he played in the film Maniyanpilla Adhava Maniyanpilla (1981), his break-through role.

Early life

Raju was born as the youngest among four in 1955 to Shekharan Nair and Saraswati Amma at Thycaud, Trivandrum. He has two sisters, Ramani and Radha, and a brother Surendran. He had his primary education from Government Model Boys Higher Secondary School, Trivandrum. He did his pre-degree in Victory Tutorial College. He learned diploma in acting course during 1973–1975 from Adyar Film Institute, Madras (now Chennai).

Personal life

He married Indira in 1985. His elder son is Sachin and his younger son Niranj made his debut in Renjith's Black Butterfly. He wrote a book titled Chirichum Chirippichum containing his memoirs in 2012. In 2019, he opened a restaurant Be @ Kiwizo in Kannur, which has Kerala's first robot servants.

Mayank Anand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mayank Anand
Born
14-11-1983 ,
Nationality Indian
Occupation Actor
Years active 2004–present
Spouse(s) Shraddha Nigam (2012–present)

Mayank Anand is an Indian actor. He is best known for playing the character of Dr. Rahul in the television series Dill Mill Gayye.

Career

Mayank's most popular role to date was Dr. Rahul Garewal in Dill Mill Gayye on STAR One opposite Drashti Dhami.

Personal life

Shraddha Nigam and Mayank Anand at Shalom fashion show

He married Shraddha Nigam in December 2012. They have since launched a fashion label together at the Lakme Fashion Week.
Television shows

Dill Mill Gayye - Dr. Rahul Garewal
Hotel Kingston - Niklesh Mehra aka Nik
Naaginn as Vikram
Bombay Talking on Zee CafĆ©
Saarrthi on STAR Plus
Hello Dollie as Nikshay Rana on STAR Plus
Na Na Karte on Star One
Ssshhhh...Phir Koi Hai - Bhediya as Madhukar (Episode 14)
Ssshhhh...Phir Koi Hai - Honeymoon as Vineet (Episode 22)
Ssshhhh...Phir Koi Hai - Bhai as Anil (Episode 30)
Master Hirannaiah
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Born 15 February 1934

Mysore, Karnataka, India
Died 2 May 2019 (aged 85)

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Other names Narasimha Murthy
Occupation

Film actor , director, comedian, writer (story screenplay lyrics)
playback singer, theatre & drama and television artist

Notable work Lanchavathara
Spouse(s) Shanthamma
Children 5

Hirannaiah or Hirannayya known by his stage name Master Hirannaiah (15 February 1934 – 2 May 2019) was an Indian film actor in the Kannada film industry[2] and a theatre artist in Karnataka, India. Some of the notable films of Master Hirannaiah as an actor include ...Re (2016), Care of Footpath 2 (2015), No. 73, Shanthi Nivasa (2007).

Early life

Hirannaiah was born in Mysore, Karnataka on 15 February 1934. His father K. Hirannaiah too was an Indian film actor, director, and writer in the Kannada film industry and a theatre artist in the state. His mother was Sharadamma. After finishing primary education in Banumayya Middle school, Hirannaiah completed intermediate in Sharada Vilas,[6] Mysore, Karnataka. In his childhood days, he distributed newspaper Sadhvi to fund his education, while actively participating in drama and theatre plays.

After his father's death, Hirannaiah took over the management of the K.Hirannaiah Mitra Mandali, which was founded by his late father. Later he became actor, director and administrator of the theatre company.
"The audience is my censor board. They have paid for their ticket, if they have a problem or they disagree they can stand up and talk about it"

"My method is to have my commentary on various issues in the middle, while the beginning and end has the catchphrase which gets the attention of the audience."


—Master Hirannaiah, sharing his thoughts with Deccan Chronicle

Career

Master Hirannaiah was part of more than 30 movies in Kannada. His notable drama plays include Lanchavathara, Double Thaali, Kanya Dahana, Sanyasi Samsara, Chamachavathara, Haasyadalli Ulta Palta, Kapi Mushti, Nadubidi Narayana, Bhrashtachaara, Anaachaara, with Lanchavathara playing more than 11 thousand times, over a span of 45 years, performing in countries like United States, Australia, Singapore, and England.

Hirannaiah Award

Master Hirannaiah established the Hirannaiah Award, in memory of his father who was known popularly as "cultural comedian" or "cultured comedian". Hirannaiah Awards are presented on behalf of Karnataka Nataka Academy, to theatre artists (native name: Rangamukhagalu) for their notable drama works. First award ceremony was held on 17 April 2010, at the Jaganmohan Palace auditorium in Mysore, Karnataka

Death

Hirannaiah died on 2 May 2019 at a hospital in Bengaluru, Karnataka of complications from liver disease, aged 85.

Awards won

Sandesha Arts Award (2009)
18th Anakru Nirman Swarna Award (2013)
Maha Advaithi Award (2017)
Alva's Nudisiri Award (2005)

Mukul Dev
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mukul Dev
Dev at a show
Born
Mukul Dev Kaushal
17 September 1970 (age 50)

Delhi, India
Nationality Indian
Other names Mukul
Occupation

Years active 1996 – present
Known for Dastak
Relatives Rahul Dev (Brother)

Mukul Dev (born 17 September 1970) is an Indian television and film actor. He is known for his work in Hindi films, Punjabi films, TV serials and music albums. He has also acted in few Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu films. He received the 7th Amrish Puri Award, for excellence in acting for his role in Yamla Pagla Deewana.

He is also a trained pilot from the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi.

Career

Mukul Dev made his acting debut on TV through a serial Mumkin playing the role of Vijay Pandey in 1996. He also acted in Doordarshan's Ek Se Badh Kar Ek, a comedy Bollywood countdown show,

He made his film debut in the film Dastak as ACP Rohit Malhotra in the same year which also introduced crowned Miss Universe Sushmita Sen. He appeared in several films such as Qila (1998), Wajood (1998), Kohram (1999) and Mujhe Meri Biwi Se Bachaao (2001). He acted in several television serials in the 2000s such as Kahin Diyaa Jale Kahin Jiyaa (2001), Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii (2003), Pyar Zindagi Hai (2003) and participated in a dance competition show Kabhi Kabhii Pyaar Kabhi Kabhii Yaar (2008). In recent years he has played supporting roles in films like Yamla Pagla Deewana (2011), Son of Sardaar (2012), R... Rajkumar (2013) and Jai Ho (2014).

He was also the host of Fear Factor India of Season

Milind Ingle


From Wikipedia

Birth name : Milind Ingle
Pen, Maharashtra, India

Genres : Indian classical, Bollywood

Occupation(s) : Singer, musician. , Milind Ingle is a singer and music director from Pen, Maharashtra, India.

Career

Milind's songs are mainly in Marathi and Hindi. Milind collaborated with poet/lyricist Soumitra (Kishor Kadam)for his album, Gaarva (ą¤—ाą¤°ą¤µा) meaning "cool" (as in breeze), in Marathi. It is a compilation of six songs (plus one reprise) that describe the advent of the monsoon after a scorching summer. Each song is preceded by Soumitra's poetry, narrated by the poet himself.

The market success of Gaarva prompted the music director/singer/lyricist team to create a second one soon after, titled Saanj Gaarva (ą¤øांą¤œ ą¤—ाą¤°ą¤µा), or "the evening breeze". The poetry reading precedes each song, this time by noted Marathi actor, Sachin Khedekar.

Major Ravi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Major

A. K. Raveendran

SM

Born 13 June 1958 
Pattambi, Palakkad, Kerala, India
Other names Major Ravi
Alma mater Army Cadet College
Occupation

Indian Army Major (Retd)
Commando
Film director
screenwriter
actor
Spouse(s)

Anitha
​(m. 1988)​
Children Arjun Ravi
Parent(s)

P. Kuttisankaran Nair
A. T. Satyabhama
Relatives Kannan Pattambi (Brother)

Military career
Allegiance  India
Service/branch  Indian Army
Rank  Major

Major A. K. Raveendran SM (born 13 June 1958) is a retired major in the Indian Army and former National Security Guard commando. He was awarded the President's gallantry medal in 1991 and 1992 for his contributions in fighting terrorism in Punjab and Kashmir. After retiring from the army, he began his career in Indian cinema as a consultant for military-based films. He made his independent directorial debut in 2006 with Keerthi Chakra for which he won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Screenplay.

Family

Major Ravi's father P. Kuttisankaran Nair was a soldier in the Indian Army. Major Ravi's mother is A. T. Satyabhama. Major Ravi is married to Anitha. The couple have a son Arjun Ravi.
Military career

He joined the army after his schooling and later pursued his studies within the army and graduated from the Army Cadet College to become an officer in Dec 1984. He was head of the mission code-named Operation One Eyed Jack to capture suspects of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination (the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi by Thenmozhi Rajaratnam on 21 May 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu). His military tenure of four years in the National Security Guard as a commando inspired him to direct Keerthi Chakra (2006) and Mission 90 Days (2007).
Film career

After serving for about two decades in the Indian Army, he became a military consultant for Indian films. He has worked with Indian film makers Priyadarshan, Rajkumar Santoshi, Kamal Haasan, and Mani Ratnam. He made a children's film, Toofan in Hindi in 1999, starring Dileep and Saba Khan, which had a delayed release in 2010, due to censoring issues. It was dubbed into Malayalam as Oru Avadhikaalam. His first feature film was Keerti Chakra, a film on Kashmir militancy.

His second movie Mission 90 Days was his own experience of the mission to capture the suspects of Rajiv Gandhi murder case. His third project Kurukshetra based on the Kargil war starring Mohanlal was a sequel to Keerthi Chakra. The 2010 film Kandahar was a third installment to the Major Mahadevan film series.

In 2012, he directed Karma Yodha with Mohanlal. In 2015, Picket 43, starring Prithviraj and Javed Jaffery was made. It turned out to be a hit. He is now heading towards a fourth installment in the Major Mahadevan series. About the film he quoted: "The focus will be on the individuals rather than the war, and will portray the relationships that are forged during the war."

Awards

Sena Medal
Kerala State Film Awards
2006: Best Screen Play - Keerthi Chakra
Asianet Film Awards
2006: Best Director Award - Keerthi Chakra
2008: Special Honour Jury Award - Kurukshetra
2010: Best Feature Film on National Integration Award - Kandahar

Manoj Sabharwal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Manoj Sabharwal

Sabharwal in 2020
Born 6 March 1985

Jalandhar, Punjab, India
Occupation Scriptwriter
Lyricist
Director
Producer
Years active 2009–present

Manoj Sabharwal (born 6 March 1985) is an Indian scriptwriter, He is one of the highest paid and witty script writer of Indian television industry for non-fiction shows.

Early life and education

Sabharwal was born in Jalandhar, Punjab and he completed his school in Jalandhar, Punjab.

Throughout his academic life he has been an active participant in theatre and other curricular activities. For his adolescent years he attended Apeejay college of Fine Arts, Jalandhar (G.N.D.U).
Career

Sabharwal started his career from DD Punjabi, as a writer for a show called 'Hasda Punjab'. Later he joined DAV College, Jalandhar as a professional skit director. He moved to Mumbai in Dececember 2010 and joined as an assistant writer at Optimystix Media Private Limited, producers of comedy circus and TV shows.
Web
PlatformYearCredits
Amazon Video 2021 Lol- India - Sunil Grover Gags

M. Krishnan Nair (director)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

M. Krishnan Nair
Born 2 November 1926
Died 10 May 2001 (aged 74)
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Occupation Film Director
Spouse(s) S. Sulochana Devi
Children 3 including K. Jayakumar and


M. Krishnan Nair (2 November 1926 – 10 May 2001) was an Indian film director of Malayalam films. He directed over 100 films. He also directed 18 Tamil movie including four films starring M. G. Ramachandran and two Telugu movies, one each with superstars N. T. Rama Rao and Krishna[3] Eminent filmmakers including Hariharan, K. Madhu, S. P. Muthuraman, Bharathiraja and Joshiy apprenticed under him as assistant directors.

He was married to K. Sulochana Devi, and had three sons. His eldest son K. Jayakumar is a poet, lyricist and a former bureaucrat who currently serves as the Vice Chancellor of Malayalam University. His second son is Harikumar, while his youngest son Sreekumar Krishnan Nair is a film director best known for directing O' Faby, India's first live-action/animation hybrid feature film. In 2000, he was honoured with the J. C. Daniel Award, Kerala government's highest honour for contributions to Malayalam cinema.
Mukesh Madhavan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mukesh


Mukesh in 2013

Member of the Legislative Assembly for Kollam

Incumbent
Assumed office 2016
Preceded by P. K. Gurudasan
Constituency Kollam

Personal details
Born Mukesh Madhavan, 5 March 1956
Pattathanam,Kollam Kerala, India
Political party Communist Party of India (Marxist)

Spouse(s) Saritha
(m. 1988; div. 2011)

Methil Devika (m. 2013)
Children 2

Parents O. Madhavan and Vijayakumari
Occupation Actor, film producer, TV host, politician

Mukesh (born Mukesh Madhavan on 5 March 1956) is an Indian film actor, producer, television presenter, and politician known for his work predominantly in Malayalam cinema, while having appeared in a few Tamil films.He is best known for his comedic roles in films. He was the chairman of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy. Mukesh is the current Member of the Legislative Assembly (M.L.A.) representing the Kollam constituency of Kerala state..

Personal life

Mukesh in 2011
Mukesh was born to actors O. Madhavan and Vijayakumari, in Kollam, Kerala on the 5 March 1956. He has two sisters, Sandhya Rajendran and Jayasree. Sandhya and her husband, E.A. Rajendran are also actors (stage and film). He attended Infant Jesus School and pursued a bachelor's degree in science (B.Sc) from Sree Narayana College in Kollam. He holds a second bachelor's degree in law (LLB) from Kerala Law Academy Law College, Thiruvananthapuram. He acted in dramas before entering the movie industry.

He was married to South Indian film actress Saritha in 1988, and they have two sons Shravan and Tejas. Shravan made his acting debut in the film Kalyanam.

Mukesh married dance scholar Methil Devika on 24 October 2013.

He was elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly from Kollam constituency in the election of 2016.

Acting career

1982–1988
Mukesh began his career in the movie Balloon in 1982. In 1985, he acted in Mutharamkunnu P. O., directed by Sibi Malayil, with a script by Sreenivasan and story by Jagadeesh. Then came a series of slapstick comedies, often with Priyadarshan, such as Ponnum Kudathinu Pottu, Akkare Ninnoru Maran, Boeing Boeing and Odaruthammava Aalariyaam.

He portrayed the CBI officer Chacko in the four movies of the CBI series directed by K. Madhu. His supporting roles with Mohanlal and Mamooty received popularity between 1985 and 2000. He maintains a close friendship with Mohanlal and has acted with him in films in supporting roles such as Hello My Dear Wrong Number, Thalavattam, Vandanam, Akkare Akkare Akkare, Kakkakuyil and Boeing Boeing.

His breakthrough came in 1989 with the movie Ramji Rao Speaking, directed by Siddique-Lal. Thereafter, he established himself as a leading actor in the Malayalam film industry.

1989–2014
In the early nineties Mukesh acted alongside actors Innocent, Jagathy Sreekumar, Jayaram, Jagadeesh and Siddique in a number of comedy movies that met with critical acclaim. His most popular films were directed by the duo Siddique-Lal. Apart from Ramji Rao Speaking, they worked together in In Harihar Nagar, Godfather. Later director Siddique directed him in Hitler, Chronic Bachelor and Friends. Even director Lal repeated him in Harihar Nagar 2 and In Ghost House Inn.

The characters he played between 1989 and 1999 were usually of a young man behaving, or thought to be behaving fraudulently under pressure, such as a bribe taking policeman, a thief on the run, or someone lying to impress his parents, or to get a job. The media labelled him as Comedy Hero. His role as serial womaniser in the 1990 Kouthugal Vaartakal boosted his popularity as a lead actor. His major leading roles included Marupuram (1990), Malayogam, Thooval Sparsham, Gajakesariyogam, Cheriya Lokavum Valiya Manushyarum, Sohrudam, Bandhukkal Shatrugal, Aayushyakalam, Ellarum Chollanu, Ennodu Ishtam Koodamo, Customs Diary, Sohrudam, Ootayal Pattalam, Cheppukilukkana Changathi, Kallanum Polissum, Makkal Rajyam and Tom & Jerry. His collaboration with director P. G. Viswambharan resulted in hits like Innathe Program and Irrikku M. D. Akathundu. The best example of a film with his character being forced by circumstances to lie is Sipayi Lahala (1995), by Vinayan and written by Sreenivasan. He paired with Sreenivasan in films like Varaphalam, Kinnaripozhayorum, Manathe Velitheru, Oodaruthamava Alariyam, Angene Oru Avadhikalathu and Mr. Clean. The cast of 1989 Ramji Rao Speaking came together for its sequel Mannar Mathai Speaking in 1995. He acted with both Thilakan and Jagathy Sreekumar together in Mookila Rajyathu, Cheriya Lokavum Veliya Manushyarum, Champion Thomas and Varaphalam.
Mac Mohan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mac Mohan
Born
Mohan Makijany
24 April 1938

(Present-day Pakistan)
Died 10 May 2010
(aged 72)

Occupation Actor
Years active 1964–2010

Saambha
Known for Sholay

Spouse(s) Minny Makijany (m.1986–2010)

Mohan Makijany (24 April 1938 – 10 May 2010), popularly known as Mac Mohan, was an Indian actor, who worked in Hindi cinema. He was known for his villainous roles in films throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He appeared in over 200 films, including Don, Karz, Satte Pe Satta, Zanjeer, Rafoo Chakkar, Shaan, Khoon Pasina, and Sholay.

Biography
Early life and career

Mac Mohan was born in Karachi in British India. Mohan came to Bombay to become a cricketer, but joined theatre and became a Bollywood actor.[2] He learned acting in the Filmalaya School of Acting in Bombay.

Mac Mohan started his Hindi film career as an assistant with director Chetan Anand, before making his debut as an actor in his film, Haqeeqat in 1964. His last appearance was in Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge in a guest appearance.

Besides Hindi movies, he also acted in Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Haryanvi, Marathi, Punjabi and Sindhi films. He had delivered dialogue in almost all Indian languages except Odia, as well as in English, Russian and Spanish films.

He is the only actor whose real name "Mac" was used as his character name in many movies.
Illness and death

In November 2009, a day before he could start the shooting for Ashwini Dheer's Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?, Mac Mohan was admitted to the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Andheri in Mumbai after his health deteriorated. He had a tumour in the right lung, which grew to be lung cancer and finally killed him on 10 May 2010, aged 72. Asian Academy of Film & Television had a special prayer meeting on 14 May at Noida Film City. There was also a prayer meeting on the same day at Ajivasan Hall for family and friends, and people from the oldest of his spot boys to Amitabh Bachchan attended the prayer meeting to pay their respects.

Personal life

Mac Mohan married Minny in 1986 and they had two daughters; Manjari Makijany, Vinati Makijany and a son Vikrant Makijany. He was the maternal uncle of actress Raveena Tandon. He was Sunil Dutt's classmate in Lucknow, from where he hailed. Mac Mohan's wife Minny is an Ayurvedic Doctor. It was when Mac Mohan's father was admitted to Arogya Nidhi Hospital in Juhu that their interaction first started and later the relationship culminated into marriage. In the interview taken by professional writer Niilesh A Raje we learn that Mac Mohan had an excellent command over spoken and written English. Apart from reading newspapers at length, he loved reading Reader's Digest magazine a lot.
Morgan Freeman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Morgan Freeman
Born June 1, 1937 
Occupation
Actor
director
producer
narrator
Years active 1964–present
Works Full list
Spouse(s)
Jeanette Adair Bradshaw
​​(m. 1967; div. 1979)​
Myrna Colley-Lee
​​(m. 1984; div. 2010)​
Children 4
Awards Full list

Military career
Service/branch  United States Air Force
Years of service 1955–1959

Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, and narrator. Noted for his distinctive deep voice, Freeman is known for his various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Throughout his career spanning over five decades, he has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe Award.

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Freeman was raised in Mississippi where he began acting in school plays. He studied theatre arts in Los Angeles and appeared in stage productions in his early career. He rose to fame in the 1970s for his role in the children's television series The Electric Company. Freeman then appeared in the Shakespearean plays Coriolanus and Julius Caesar, the former of which earned him an Obie Award. His breakout role was in Street Smart (1987), playing a hustler, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He achieved further stardom in Glory, the biographical drama Lean on Me, and comedy-drama Driving Miss Daisy (all 1989), the latter of which garnered him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. In 1992, he starred alongside Clint Eastwood in the western revenge film Unforgiven; this would be the first of several collaborations with Eastwood. In 1994, Freeman starred in the prison drama The Shawshank Redemption for which he received another Academy Award nomination. Freeman also starred in David Fincher's crime thriller Se7en (1995), and Steven Spielberg's historical drama Amistad (1997). Freeman won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Clint Eastwood's 2004 sports drama Million Dollar Baby. In 2009, he received his fifth Oscar nomination for playing South African President Nelson Mandela in Eastwood's Invictus. Freeman is also known for his performances in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005–2012).

In addition to acting, Freeman has directed the drama Bopha! (1993). He also founded film production company Revelations Entertainment with business partner Lori McCreary. He is the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honor, the AFI Life Achievement Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. For his performances in theatrical productions, he has won three Obie Awards, one of the most prestigious honors for recognizing excellence in theatre.

Early life

Morgan Freeman was born on June 1, 1937, in Memphis, Tennessee. He is the son of Mamie Edna (nĆ©e Revere; 1912–2000), a teacher, and Morgan Porterfield Freeman (July 6, 1915 – April 27, 1961), a barber, who died of cirrhosis in 1961. He has three older siblings. According to DNA analysis, some of his ancestors were from the Songhai and Tuareg people of Niger. Some of Freeman's great-great-grandparents were slaves who migrated from North Carolina to Mississippi. Freeman later discovered that his Caucasian maternal great-great-grandfather had lived with, and was buried beside Freeman's African-American great-great-grandmother in the segregated South, as the two could not legally marry at the time. The DNA test suggested that among all of his African ancestors, a little over one-quarter came from the area that stretches from present-day Senegal to Liberia and three-quarters came from the Congo-Angola region

As an infant, Freeman was sent to his paternal grandmother in Charleston, Mississippi. He moved frequently during his childhood, living in Greenwood, Mississippi; Gary, Indiana; and finally Chicago, Illinois. When Freeman was 16 years old, he contracted pneumonia. He made his acting debut at age nine, playing the lead role in a school play. He then attended Broad Street High School, a building which serves today as Threadgill Elementary School, in Greenwood, Mississippi. At age 12, he won a statewide drama competition, and while settling into school, discovered music and theatre.

Freeman graduated high school in 1955, but turned down a partial drama scholarship from Jackson State University, opting instead to enlist in the United States Air Force and served as an Automatic Tracking Radar Repairman, rising to the rank of Airman 1st Class. After serving from 1955 to 1959, he moved to Los Angeles, California, and took acting classes at the Pasadena Playhouse. He also studied theatre arts at Los Angeles City College, where a teacher encouraged him to embark on a dance career.

Career
1964–1988: Early work and rise to prominence

Freeman worked as a dancer at the 1964 World's Fair and was a member of the Opera Ring musical theatre group in San Francisco. He acted in a touring company version of The Royal Hunt of the Sun, and also appeared as an extra in Sidney Lumet's 1965 drama film The Pawnbroker starring Rod Steiger. Between acting and dancing jobs, Freeman realized that acting was where his heart lay. "After [The Royal Hunt of the Sun], my acting career just took off", he later recalled. Freeman made his Off-Broadway debut in 1967, opposite Viveca Lindfors in The Nigger Lovers, a show about the Freedom Riders during the American Civil Rights Movement, before debuting on Broadway in 1968's all-black version of Hello, Dolly! which also starred Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway. In 1969, he also performed on stage in The Dozens.

Beginning in 1971, Freeman starred in the PBS children's television show The Electric Company, which gave him financial stability and recognition among American audiences. His work on the show was tiring, so he quit in 1975. Television producer Joan Ganz Cooney said that Freeman loathed appearing in The Electric Company, saying "it was a very unhappy period in his life." Freeman later acknowledged that he does not think about the show, but he was grateful to have been a part of it. His first credited appearance in a mainstream television show was in 1971's Who Says I Can't Ride a Rainbow!, a family drama starring Jack Klugman. Also that year, he performed in a theatre production of Purlie. After a short career break, he returned to work in 1978, appearing in two stage productions: 1978's The Mighty Gents, winning a Drama Desk Award and a Clarence Derwent Award for his role as a wino, and White Pelicans. Freeman continued to work in theatre, and a year later, appeared in the Shakespearean tragedies Coriolanus, receiving the Obie Award in 1980 for the title role, and Julius Caesar.

In 1980, he had a small role as Walter in the drama Brubaker, which starred Robert Redford as a prison warden. Freeman next appeared in the television film, Attica (1980), which is about the 1971 Attica Prison riot and its aftermath. A year later, he starred in Peter Yates' Eyewitness with co-stars William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver. From 1982 to 1984, Freeman was a cast member of the soap opera Another World, playing architect Roy Bingham. After several small roles in dramas, he starred in Marie (1985), a film adaptation of Marie: A True Story by Peter Maas, in which he portrayed Charles Traughber, and also appeared in the miniseries The Atlanta Child Murders. Freeman also had a small role in the drama That Was Then... This Is Now, based on the novel of the same name by S. E. Hinton. In the mid-1980s, he began accepting prominent supporting roles in feature films, earning him a reputation for depicting wise, fatherly characters.

In addition to television films, in 1987, Freeman played a violent street hustler, a role that diverged from his previous roles, in Street Smart co-starring Christopher Reeve and Kathy Baker. Freeman's performance was praised by film critics, including Roger Ebert who wrote, "Freeman has the flashier role, as a smart, very tough man who can be charming or intimidating - whatever's needed...Freeman creates such an unforgettable villain." Freeman's performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Freeman later said he considered Street Smart to be his breakthrough role. In his next film, he played Craig in the drama Clean and Sober with co-stars Michael Keaton and Kathy Baker. Although the film was not a box office hit, it gained fair reviews; Roger Ebert gave the film 4½ out of 5 stars and called the performances "superb". Freeman also received Obie Awards for his roles as a preacher in the musical The Gospel at Colonus, and as Hoke Colburn in the play Driving Miss Daisy, respectively.

1989–1996: Breakthrough in Hollywood and worldwide recognition

Freeman had four film releases in 1989. In the first, he starred as Sergeant Major John Rawlins in Glory, directed by Edward Zwick, about the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the Union Army's second African-American regiment in the American Civil War. Writing for The Washington Post, Desson Thomson praised Freeman and co-star Denzel Washington for their "warming sense of fraternity". Glory was nominated for five Academy Awards and won three: Best Supporting Actor for Washington, Best Cinematography, and Best Sound. Next, Freeman starred in the comedy-drama Driving Miss Daisy, alongside Jessica Tandy and Dan Aykroyd. Based on Alfred Uhry's play, in which Freeman appeared previously, he reprises his role of Hoke Colburn, a chauffeur for a Jewish widow. The film was a commercial success and grossed US$145 million worldwide. Film critics were mainly positive; Henry Sheehan from The Hollywood Reporter opined that Freeman and Tandy's performances complemented each other while retaining their "individual star-quality". The film was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Freeman.

His third release was the biographical drama Lean on Me, in which Freeman portrays the principal of an under-performing and drug- and crime-ridden New Jersey high school. Jane Galbraith of Variety magazine thought Freeman's casting was "wonderful". Lastly in 1989, he starred in Walter Hill's Johnny Handsome, a crime drama in which he plays a New Orleans police officer. In a 1990 interview, Freeman said Glory was one of his favorite releases—"The Black legacy is as noble, is as heroic, is as filled with adventure and conquest and discovery as anybody else's. It's just that nobody knows it."
Freeman at the 62nd Academy Awards in 1990

In 1990, Freeman provided the voice of Frederick Douglass in The Civil War, a television miniseries about the American Civil War. That year, he also starred in the critically panned The Bonfire of the Vanities. According to the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 16% based on 51 reviews. In the summer of 1990, he played Petruchio, a role he had been thinking about for six years, in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, which opened at Delacorte theatre in New York City. "[Petruchio] seems to have a lot of fun in life.", he said. In 1991, he had a supporting role in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, an action-adventure starring Kevin Costner. The film was a commercial success, but garnered mixed reviews from critics; The New York Times' Vincent Canby thought Freeman played Azeem with "wit and humor" despite the "muddled" plot. Freeman also narrated The True Story of Glory Continues, a documentary about the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment.

In 1992, he appeared in Clint Eastwood's western Unforgiven, which won four Academy Awards including Best Picture. The film depicts William Munny (Eastwood), an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job with old friend Ned Logan (Freeman). Unforgiven was widely acclaimed, with one critic calling Freeman's performance "outstanding". The Power of One was Freeman's second film in 1992, a loose adaptation of Bryce Courtenay's 1989 novel of the same name, in which he plays boxing coach Geel Piet.

In 1993, Freeman made his directorial debut with the drama Bopha!, which tells the story of a black policeman (Danny Glover) during South Africa's apartheid era. Bopha! was well-received, in particular for Freeman's directing. Hal Hinson of The Washington Post wrote, "Freeman lays out the father-son dynamics with great skill and very little fuss. There's no hysteria in his approach; instead, he sticks to the facts, relying on his cast to provide the emotion. The result is a surprisingly powerful, insightful film." Kenneth Turan from Los Angeles Times also complimented Freeman's direction but thought the film was "more predictable than powerful".

In 1994, Freeman portrayed Red, the redeemed convict in Frank Darabont's acclaimed drama The Shawshank Redemption with co-star Tim Robbins. It is based on the 1982 Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. Freeman was cast at the suggestion of producer Liz Glotzer, despite the novella's character of a white Irishman. Filming proved to be challenging, mainly because of Darabont's need for multiple takes. "The answer [I’d give him] was no [...] having to do something again and again for no discernible reason tends to be a bit debilitating to the energy", Freeman said. Nevertheless, Freeman's performance was described as "quietly impressive" and "moving" by The New York Times. At the 67th Academy Awards, Freeman received a nomination for Best Actor. Since its release, The Shawshank Redemption has remained popular among audiences. In 1994, Freeman also served as a member of the jury at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival.

Outbreak (1995), a medical thriller directed by Wolfgang Petersen, was Freeman's next film. He played General Billy Ford, a doctor dealing with an outbreak of a fictional virus in a small town. The film also stars Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, and Donald Sutherland. Outbreak was a box office success, grossing $189.8 million worldwide, but gained a mixed critics' response. Mick LaSelle of the San Francisco Chronicle credited Freeman for his performance which may have been unappreciated by viewers. In 1995, Freeman also starred with Brad Pitt in David Fincher's crime thriller Seven, the story of two detectives who attempt to identify a serial killer who bases his murders on the Christian seven deadly sins. Freeman's performance generated a positive response; Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote "Freeman plays nearly every scene in a doleful hush; he makes you lean in to hear his words, to ferret out the hints of anger and regret that haunt this weary knight." The critic from Variety magazine called Freeman's acting "supremely nuanced".

A year later, Freeman appeared in Chain Reaction as Paul Shannon, a science fiction thriller co-starring Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz. The film was a critical and commercial disappointment. Next, he was cast opposite Robin Wright in 1996's Moll Flanders, a period drama based on the novel of the same name. The film received a mixed reception; Greg Evans from Variety magazine said Freeman gave a "sweet" performance, while The New York Times critic thought he was miscast.

1997–2004: Critical success and established actor

While filming Outbreak, Freeman expressed an interest in starting a film production company. He turned to Lori McCreary, producer of Bopha!, to be his business partner. Freeman explained to her that he wanted to achieve representation on screen, explore challenging issues and reveal hidden truths, so they chose to name their firm Revelations Entertainment.

In 1997, Freeman narrated the Academy Award-winning documentary The Long Way Home, about Jewish refugees' liberation after World War II and the establishment of Israel. He also appeared in Steven Spielberg's historical epic Amistad alongside Djimon Hounsou, Anthony Hopkins, and Matthew McConaughey. Based on the events in 1839 aboard the slave ship La Amistad, the film was mostly well-received and earned four nominations at the Academy Awards. The critic from Salon magazine, however, thought the film lacked inspiration and Freeman's role was "utterly cryptic". In that same year, he was cast as psychologist Alex Cross in Kiss the Girls, a thriller based on James Patterson's 1995 novel of the same name. In a mixed review, Peter Stack of San Francisco Chronicle thought Freeman and co-star Ashley Judd gave strong performances despite the lengthy plot.
Freeman in 1998

Freeman went on to star in Deep Impact (1998), a science fiction disaster film in which he played President Tim Beck. The story depicts humanity's attempt to destroy a 7-mile (11 km) wide comet set to collide with Earth and cause a mass extinction. The film was a box office hit despite competition from Armageddon, another summer blockbuster of the year Continuing with the disaster genre, he then starred opposite Christian Slater in 1998's Hard Rain, centering around a heist and man-made treachery amidst a natural disaster in a small Indiana town. The film was unpopular with critics; Lawrence Van Gelder of The New York Times called the characters "one-dimensional" and the film "routine".

Freeman returned to the screen in 2000 the lead role of Charlie in the comedy Nurse Betty, featuring RenĆ©e Zellweger, Chris Rock, and Greg Kinnear. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to mainly positive reviews; the critic from Variety magazine thought Freeman and Rock had "wonderful chemistry". Next, he appeared in Under Suspicion (2000), a thriller remake of the 1981 French film Garde Ć  vue. The film had been "carting round" for twelve years before Freeman was able to produce it under Revelations Entertainment. He co-starred with Gene Hackman; "Working with Gene was wonderful. I didn't find it too hard working with an icon I so respected.", Freeman said. Upon release, Under Suspicion was met with lukewarm reception; CNN's Paul Tatara praised the actors but thought the film was "too tawdry to be completely entertaining, and too static to generate much excitement". In 2001, Freeman reprised his role of Alex Cross in Along Came a Spider, a sequel to 1997's Kiss the Girls. The film received mixed-to-negative reviews. Susan Wloszczyna of USA Today observed that "Freeman strides with noble authority" but thought the overall film was unmemorable.

In 2002, Freeman was cast opposite Ben Affleck in the spy thriller The Sum of All Fears. It is based on Tom Clancy's 1991 novel of the same name, about a plot by an Austrian Neo-Nazi to trigger a nuclear war between the United States and Russia, so that he can establish a fascist superstate in Europe. The Sum of All Fears received moderate reviews, but was a commercial success, grossing $193.9 million worldwide. Next, Freeman starred alongside Ashley Judd and Jim Caviezel in High Crimes (2002), a legal thriller based on Joseph Finder's 1998 novel of the same name. The story follows lawyer Claire (Judd), whose husband (Caviezel) is arrested and placed on trial for the murder of villagers while he was in the Marines. Although several critics were unimpressed with the story, they credited Freeman and Judd for their chemistry and performances.

In 2003, Freeman appeared as God in the hit comedy Bruce Almighty with Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston.[83] Next, he starred in the science fiction horror Dreamcatcher, adapted from Stephen King's 2001 novel of the same name. The film was a box office flop, and garnered mostly negative reviews; Dreamcatcher has an approval rating of 28% on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes. Also in 2003, Freeman starred in two other dramas that were not widely seen, Levity and Guilty by Association. His 2004 releases were comedy The Big Bounce and sports drama Million Dollar Baby. In the latter, directed by Clint Eastwood, Freeman portrayed an elderly former boxer. The film won four Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Hilary Swank), and Best Supporting Actor, earning Freeman his first Academy Award. Freeman was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the same category. Roger Ebert complimented Freeman's "flat and factual" narration, and Timeout magazine thought the cast fully inhabited their roles.

2005–2013: Documentaries and thriller films

2005 was a busy year for Freeman, making six appearances in various features. In the drama An Unfinished Life, Freeman plays Mitch, a neighbor of a Wyoming rancher (Robert Redford). The film had a mixed response; The Guardian critic thought it was amiable but questioned the purpose of Freeman's "sidekick" role.[93] Freeman's authoritative voice led to his narration of two documentaries; Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds and the Academy Award-winning March of the Penguins.[23] He also appeared in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, the first installment in what would become The Dark Knight Trilogy, as the fictional Lucius Fox.[94] After this, he co-starred with Jet Li in the action-thriller Unleashed, playing Sam, a blind piano tuner who helps Li's character turn his life around. The film gained a mixed-to-positive reception; Peter Hartlaub of San Francisco Chronicle was confused with the genre and thought Freeman's character interrupted the narrative. Freeman's next role was in the thriller Edison, which bombed at the box office. In his last release of 2005, he provided the voice of Neil Armstrong in the documentary Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D.

Freeman starred in 2006's The Contract, as assassin Frank Carden opposite John Cusack. The film was released direct-to-video, which critic John Cornelius suggests was unsurprising, considering the generic formula of the thriller. Freeman next appeared in Lucky Number Slevin (2006), a crime thriller directed by Paul McGuigan. Starring a principle cast of Josh Hartnett, Bruce Willis, Lucy Liu, Stanley Tucci, and Ben Kingsley, the film garnered mixed reception David Mattin of BBC wrote, "Kingsley and Freeman shine individually, but their inevitable, climactic clash of heads lacks force. Like its leading man [Hartnett], this movie presents a charming faƧade with nothing much underneath." Next, Freeman portrayed himself in the low-budget comedy 10 Items or Less opposite Paz Vega. Two weeks after its theatrical release, 10 Items or Less was made available for download from ClickStar, a film distribution company that Freeman co-founded that year.

In 2007, Freeman reprised his role as God in Evan Almighty, a sequel to 2003's Bruce Almighty, with Steve Carell. Evan Almighty was a box office failure and negatively received; The Guardian critic wrote, "A cast full of people who have been frequently funny elsewhere flounder in this deluge of sentimentality and CGI. Avoid like the Ten Plagues." The drama Feast of Love was Freeman's second release of 2007. It is based on the 2000 novel The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter, about a group of friends living in suburban Oregon who come into contact with a free spirit who changes their outlook on life; Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian sarcastically remarked that it was great to see Freeman in a challenging role. Freeman had a supporting part in Gone Baby Gone (2007), a mystery thriller that was also Ben Affleck's directorial debut. Adapted from the 1998 novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane, Freeman plays Captain Jack Doyle of the Boston Police Department. The story and cast performances were positively received; Timeout magazine called it "flawed but impressive". Afterward, he starred in Rob Reiner's 2007 comedy The Bucket List opposite Jack Nicholson. The plot follows two terminally ill men on a road trip with a list of things to do before they die. The film grossed a respectable $175 million worldwide.
Freeman at the German premiere of The Bucket List in 2008

In 2008, Freeman was cast in the action-thriller Wanted, a loose adaptation of the comic book miniseries by Mark Millar and J. G. Jones. The plot revolves around Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy), a frustrated account manager who discovers that he is the son of a professional assassin and decides to join the Fraternity, a secret society of which Sloan (Freeman) is the leader. Principal photography took place in Chicago; co-star rapper Common remarked on the set atmosphere, "Freeman is a cool guy. He’d be walking around joking and singing and just dancing. You know, artists are free and I just felt the freedom in him." The film received generally favorable reviews; Peter Howell of Toronto Star thought it was original and one of Freeman's bolder performances to date. Freeman narrated The Love Guru (2008), before appearing in The Dark Knight (2008), the second installment of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy, in which he reprised his role as Lucius Fox. Freeman returned to Broadway in 2008 after an eighteen-year absence to co-star with Frances McDormand and Peter Gallagher in Clifford Odets' play, The Country Girl, directed by Mike Nichols.

Freeman continued to accept roles in a diverse range of genres. In 2009, Freeman starred opposite Antonio Banderas in the heist movie Thick as Thieves. Next, he collaborated with Christopher Walken and William H. Macy for the comedy The Maiden Heist. For some time, Freeman expressed a desire to do a film based on Nelson Mandela. Initially, he wanted to adapt Mandela's autobiography Long Walk to Freedom into a screenplay, but plans were never finalized. Instead, he purchased the film rights to John Carlin's book: Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation. The book was adapted into a film which Clint Eastwood directed, Invictus, starring Freeman as Mandela and Matt Damon as rugby team captain Francois Pienaar. The biographical drama received positive reviews for Freeman's performance; Roger Ebert wrote "Freeman does a splendid job of evoking the man Nelson Mandela [...] He shows him as genial, confident, calming, over what was clearly a core of tempered steel." Freeman received Best Actor nominations at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes, as well as a nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The same year he provided the narration for Janet Langhart's Anne and Emmett, a play featuring an imaginary conversation between Emmett Till and Anne Frank, both killed as young teenagers because of racial persecution.

Freeman's sole film release of 2010 was Red with co-stars Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich. Red is loosely adapted from the comic-book series Red, created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner and published by the DC Comics imprint Homage. Freeman plays CIA mentor Joe, who helps retired fellow agent Frank (Willis) to uncover some assassins. The film was a critical and commercial success; writing for Melbourne's The Age, Jim Schembri praised Freeman and the cast who "bring an infectious comic energy to their roles".

Besides film, Freeman worked on other projects. In January 2010, Freeman replaced Walter Cronkite as the voiceover introduction to the CBS Evening News presented by Katie Couric. CBS stated the need for consistency in introductions for regular news broadcasts and special reports as the basis for the change. Deborah Myers, head of Science Channel, approached Freeman to be the presenter of Through the Wormhole (2010–17). She had heard that he was "really interested in space and the universe," and the pair agreed to develop the series together.

In 2011, Freeman narrated the fantasy Conan the Barbarian and appeared in the family drama Dolphin Tale, as prosthetic specialist Dr. McCarthy. Returning to theatre in 2011, Freeman was featured with John Lithgow in the Broadway debut of Dustin Lance Black's play, 8, a staged reenactment of Perry v. Brown, the federal trial that overturned California's Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage. Freeman played Attorney David Boies. The production was held at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre in New York City to raise money for the American Foundation for Equal Rights. Freeman had a lead role in the 2012 drama The Magic of Belle Isle, as an alcoholic novelist trying to write again. The film fared poorly with critics, gaining only a 29% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Lastly in 2012, Freeman reprised his role as Lucius Fox for the third time in The Dark Knight Rises.

A number of box office hits were released in 2013. Freeman appeared in the action-thriller Olympus Has Fallen, the first installment in what would become the Fallen film series; he portrays Speaker of the House Allan Trumbull. The San Francisco Chronicle critic gave Olympus Has Fallen 3 out of 4 stars and opined that Freeman gave an amicable supporting performance. He then starred in the science fiction drama Oblivion, with co-star Tom Cruise, as veteran soldier Malcolm Beech, and appeared in the thriller Now You See Me, as an ex-magician. Lastly, he played a retiree in Last Vegas, with co-stars Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Kevin Kline, and Mary Steenburgen. Filmed in Las Vegas and Atlanta, Last Vegas was praised for its cast's chemistry, and one critic thought Freeman brought the most amusement.

2014–present: Continued success

In 2014, Freeman voiced the character Vitruvius in The Lego Movie, a commercially successful 3D animation. He starred in Transcendence, a science fiction thriller directed by Wally Pfister in his directorial debut, in which Freeman plays scientist Joseph Tagger. Critic reviews of the film were generally mixed according to Metacritic. Next, he co-starred in the action Lucy (2014), about a woman (Scarlett Johansson) who gains psychokinetic abilities when a nootropic drug is absorbed into her bloodstream. Freeman plays Professor Samuel Norman, who helps her research the condition. Producer Virginie Silla wanted Freeman for the part because of his experience in portraying a character of wisdom. "He was the perfect actor", she said. Upon the release of Lucy, critical reception ranged from mixed-to-positive. Also that year, Freeman appeared in the sequel to 2011's Dolphin Tale, Dolphin Tale 2, and 5 Flights Up, a comedy-drama. At the end of 2014, Freeman appeared as himself, among other celebrities, in the documentary Lennon or McCartney.

Kazuaki Kiriya's action-thriller Last Knights was Freeman's first film of 2015, starring opposite Clive Owen. The plot centers on a band of warriors who seek to avenge the loss of their master at the hands of a corrupt minister. Reviews were largely underwhelming; Sara Stewart of New York Post called it "bloody bad," adding, "Once-proud box office names are its first casualties." Freeman next joined the cast of Ted 2, a comedy sequel to Ted, directed by Seth MacFarlane. The story follows the talking teddy bear Ted as he fights for civil rights in order to be recognized as a person. Freeman portrays Patrick Meighan, a highly respected civil rights attorney. A television series also occupied Freeman's time. He played Chief Justice Frawley of the United States Supreme Court in a recurring role in Madam Secretary. He and his producing partner Lori McCreary served as executive producers. Freeman directed the first episode; of his directing style, McCreary remarked, "What's riveting is that he can achieve a complete tonal change in performance with the least amount of direction [...] Everybody behaves better when Morgan is there [...] but he's very fun." At the end of 2015, Freeman played a U.S senator in the thriller Momentum.
Freeman in 2016

Reprising his role as Allan Trumbull, Freeman appeared in London Has Fallen, the 2016 sequel to Olympus Has Fallen. The film follows a plot to assassinate the world leaders of the G7 as they attend the British Prime Minister's funeral in London, as well as Secret Service agent Mike Banning's efforts to protect U.S President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) from being killed. The film was a commercial success, however, writing for A.V. Club, Ignatiy Vishnevetsky criticized the cheap filmmaking, saying, "The movie periodically cuts to overqualified supporting actors—including Freeman, Melissa Leo, and Robert Forster ... (it’s possible to write something that will sound like garbage even when spoken in Freeman’s sonorous voice.)" Next, Freeman reprised his role as Thaddeus Bradley, starring in Now You See Me 2 (2016), the sequel to Now You See Me, the sequel grossing a successful $334.9 million worldwide. Finally, he had a leading role in the historical drama Ben-Hur, the fifth film adaptation of the 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace. Freeman expressed interest in playing Sheik Ilderim, a wealthy Nubian sheik, stating "This character has quite a bit of power in the story. And I like playing power. It’s something about my own personal ego." Ben-Hur turned out to be one of 2016's biggest box office bombs.

In 2017, Freeman appeared in two comedies: Going in Style and Just Getting Started. The first of these is a remake of the 1979 film of the same name, co-starring Michael Caine and Alan Arkin, in which they play bank robbers after their pensions are canceled. It opened to a mixed response; The Telegraph's Robbie Collin thought the trio of actors looked tired before the end of it. Just Getting Started, in which Freeman starred with Tommy Lee Jones and Rene Russo, was critically panned by reviewers. The plot follows an ex-FBI agent (Jones) who must put aside his personal feud with a former mob lawyer (Freeman) at a retirement home when the mafia comes to kill the pair. Freeman hosted the National Geographic The Story of God with Morgan Freeman and The Story of Us with Morgan Freeman, in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

In 2018, Freeman narrated Alpha, a historical drama set in the last ice age. He then starred in Disney's The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, a retelling of E. T. A. Hoffmann's short story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" and Marius Petipa's and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker. Finally, he had an uncredited role as Jerome in the biographical drama Brian Banks, a high school football player who was falsely accused of rape and upon his release attempted to fulfill his dream of making the NFL. In 2019, Freeman starred opposite John Travolta in The Poison Rose, an adaptation of the novel by Richard Salvatore. In Angel Has Fallen, Freeman reprised his role as Allan Trumbull, the third installment in the Fallen film series, following Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen. Although critical reception was mixed, the film was a box office success, earning $147.5 million worldwide.

Freeman next appeared alongside an ensemble cast in George Gallo's crime comedy The Comeback Trail and in Coming 2 America, a sequel to the 1988 film.

Other ventures
Environmental activism

In 2004, Freeman helped form the Grenada Relief Fund to aid people affected by Hurricane Ivan on the island of Grenada. The fund has since become PLANIT NOW, an organization that seeks to provide preparedness resources for people living in areas affected by hurricanes and severe storms. In 2014, he narrated a clip titled What's Possible, which debuted at the United Nations climate summit. Freeman has donated to the Mississippi Horse Park in Starkville, Mississippi, part of Mississippi State University and Freeman has several horses that he takes there.

After learning about the decline of honeybees, Freeman decided to turn his 124-acre ranch into a bee sanctuary in July 2014, starting with 26 beehives.

Political activism

In 2005, Freeman criticized the celebration of Black History Month, saying, "I don't want a black history month. Black history is American history." He opined that the only way to end racism is to stop talking about it, and he noted that there is no "white history month". In an interview with 60 Minutes's Mike Wallace, Freeman said, "I am going to stop calling you a white man and I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man." Freeman supported the defeated proposal to change the Mississippi state flag, which incorporated the Confederate battle flag at the time. In an interview on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight, Freeman drew controversy when he accused the Tea Party movement of racism.

In reaction to the death of Freddie Gray and the 2015 Baltimore protests, Freeman said he was "absolutely" supportive of the protesters. "That unrest [in Baltimore] has nothing to do with terrorism at all, except the terrorism we suffer from the police. [...] Because of the technology—everybody has a smartphone—now we can see what the police are doing. We can show the world, 'Look, this is what happened in that situation.' So why are so many people dying in police custody? And why are they all Black? And why are all the police killing them white? What is that? The police have always said, 'I feared for my safety.' Well, now we know. OK. You feared for your safety while a guy was running away from you, right?"

During the 2008 presidential election, Freeman endorsed Barack Obama's presidential bid, although he said he would not join Obama's campaign. He provided the voice of the narrator for Disney World's The Hall of Presidents when Obama was added to the exhibit  and The Hall of Presidents re-opened on July 4, 2009, at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. On day four of the 2016 Democratic National Convention, Freeman provided the voiceover for the video introduction of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. On September 19, 2017, Freeman appeared in a video by the Committee to Investigate Russia group, in which he declared "we [United States] are at war" and accusing Russia of "launching cyber attacks and spreading false information".

In June 2021, he donated $1 million along with University of Mississippi Professor Linda Keena to the university in order to establish the Center for Evidence-Based Policing and Reform.

Business ventures

In 1997, Freeman and business partner Lori McCreary founded Revelations Entertainment, a film production company. They also founded ClickStar in 2006, a film download company, with investment from Intel Corporation.[194] ClickStar ceased operations in 2008. Freeman owns and operates Ground Zero, a blues club in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and is the former co-owner of Madidi, a fine dining restaurant in the same city

COVID-19 vaccination

In 2021, Morgan Freeman encouraged people to get vaccinated. Freeman stated, "I'm not a doctor, but I trust science. And I'm told that, for some reason, people trust me. So here I am to say I trust science and I got the vaccine."

Personal life
Freeman with daughter Morgana at the 62nd Academy Awards in 1990

Freeman was married to Jeanette Adair Bradshaw from October 22, 1967, until November 18, 1979 and subsequently married Myrna Colley-Lee on June 16, 1984. The couple separated in December 2007 and divorced on September 15, 2010. Freeman has four children: Alfonso, Deena, Morgana, and Saifoulaye. Freeman and Colley-Lee adopted Freeman's step-granddaughter from his first marriage, E'dena Hines, and raised her together. On August 16, 2015, 33-year old Hines was murdered in New York City.

Freeman resides in Charleston, Mississippi, and maintains a home in New York City. He earned a private pilot's license at age 65.[206] and owns or has owned at least three private aircraft, including a Cessna Citation 501, a Cessna 414 twin-engine prop, and an Emivest SJ30. When asked if he believed in God, Freeman said, "It's a hard question because as I said at the start, I think we invented God. So if I believe in God, and I do, it's because I think I'm God." Freeman later said that his experience working on The Story of God with Morgan Freeman did not change his views on religion.

On the evening of August 3, 2008, Freeman was injured in an automobile crash when his 1997 Nissan Maxima was involved in a rollover near Ruleville, Mississippi. He and his passenger, Demaris Meyer, had to be cut free from the vehicle with hydraulic tools. Freeman was conscious after the crash and joked with a photographer at the scene. He was taken via helicopter to The Regional Medical Center (The Med) hospital in Memphis. He broke his left shoulder, arm, and elbow, and required surgery on August 5. Doctors operated on him for four hours to repair nerve damage in his shoulder and arm. His publicist announced he was expected to make a full recovery. Although alcohol was not considered a factor in the crash, Meyer sued Freeman for negligence, claiming that he had been consuming alcohol, but the suit was eventually settled for an undisclosed amount. Since the incident, Freeman suffers from fibromyalgia.

In December 2010, Freeman joined President Bill Clinton, President of the United States Soccer Federation Sunil Gulati, and soccer player Landon Donovan in Zurich for a presentation to bid for the U.S hosting rights for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

On May 24, 2018, CNN published an investigation in which eight women accused Freeman of being "overly flirtatious" by "making inappropriate comments" while on the set of films or at his production company. In response, Freeman issued an apology; "Anyone who knows me or has worked with me knows I am not someone who would intentionally offend or knowingly make anyone feel uneasy. I apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable or disrespected—that was never my intent." The spokesperson for Lori McCreary, Freeman's business partner, did not respond to CNN's request for comment. Several journalists spoke out in response to the story, including Tyra Martin who stated, "I’m not, never was [a victim]. CNN totally misrepresented the video and took my remarks out of context.” Freeman's lawyer demanded that CNN retract the story. The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) did not take any action against Freeman. On December 8, 2020, La OpiniĆ³n reported on a Spanish-language blog post from 2018 that alleged that CNN fabricated their report on Freeman.

Artistry and legacy

Freeman's deep voice is considered to be distinctive, iconic, and recognizable, which frequently makes him a preferable choice for narration in films and documentaries. The journalist Radhika Sanghani writes that his "deeply reassuring voice, with its mellifluous tones and authoritative presence, is why an entire generation still hear his trademark tones when they think of the almighty". Freeman said that his voice developed in this way while taking speech classes in college; he found that most people speak in a voice either too fast or too high and he developed a commanding voice by speaking in a lower octave and enunciating each word.

According to author Miriam DeCosta-Willis, Freeman is an intuitive actor. He likes to select his roles carefully, and study the character to ensure he portrays them with depth, sensitivity, and substance. Commenting on Freeman's persona, Beverly Todd, who co-starred with him in Lean on Me (1989) and The Bucket List (2007) said, "The world knows he is such a consummate actor. He's a very sharing actor and such a nice guy. He's not the kind of actor who demands that he has all of the scenes and all the dialogues and all the emphasis is on him". Freeman has said he is interested in playing character roles, and values the importance of listening carefully while filming scenes, saying "The big danger in acting is to wait for your line. That's what I never do. I always listen, no matter how many times we do it."

On October 28, 2006, Freeman was honored at the first Mississippi's Best Awards in Jackson, Mississippi with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in film and theatre. He received an honorary Doctor of Arts and Letters degree from Delta State University during the school's commencement exercises on May 13, 2006. In 2013, Boston University presented him with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. On November 12, 2014, he was bestowed the honor of Freedom of the City by the City of London.

In 2008, Freeman was chosen as a Kennedy Center Honoree at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. In 2011, he received the AFI Life Achievement Award in recognition of his contribution to the film industry. Those who honored Freeman included Sidney Poitier, Samuel L. Jackson, Forest Whitaker, Rita Moreno, Helen Mirren, Clint Eastwood, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Matthew Broderick. In 2012, he was awarded the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award, which recognizes lifetime achievement in the film industry. In August 2017, he was named the 54th recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment. His co-star Rita Moreno from The Electric Company presented him the award in the following January.
M. Bhaskar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

M. Bhaskar

Born 3 April 1935

Died 12 July 2013 (aged 78)

Education BA (Hons) English Literature, MA Political Science, FL (Law)
Occupation Story writer, screenwriter, dialogue writer, director, producer
Years active 1978-2013
Organization Oscar Movies
Known for Founder of Oscar Movies
Parent(s) V S Mariappa Thevar (father)
Janaki Ammal (mother)

M. Bhaskar (3 April 1935 – 12 July 2013) was an Indian filmmaker who worked mainly in the Tamil film industry. Bhaskar started his film career as an assistant to director C. V. Sridhar. After relieving from his mentor and guru C. V. Sridhar, he was working under Sundaram's Modern Theaters, Chinnappa Thevar along with S. P. Muthuraman, Panju Arunachalam, Thuyavan, Uthiripookkal Balakrishnan and others. He also worked as a second unit Director for 20th Century Fox, during their production in Goa, India.

Early life and career

M. Bhaskar hailed from a village called Pattamputhur, Virudhunagar district. He started his career as an associate to C. V. Sridhar starting from movie Venniradai followed by list of notable films he worked Kodimalar, Nenjirukkum Varai, Ooty Varai Uravu, Avalukendru Oru Manam, Sivantha Mann, Uttharavindri Ulle Vaa also in Hindi films Pyar Kiye Jaa, Gehri Chaal, Nai Roshni, Dharti. He made his directorial debut with Bairavi. The film gave major breakthrough in the career of Rajinikanth as a lead actor. Rajini gained the tag "Superstar" from this film.

Bairavi is a 1978 Tamil feature film directed by M. Baskar and starring Rajinikanth. It was Rajinikanth's first movie as a solo hero in Tamil cinema. He was also given the "Superstar" title through this film. The film stars Sripriya as the female lead and Geetha playing the title role as Rajini's sister. Geetha was introduced in this film. Srikanth played the role of the main villain. Malayalam actor Sudheer played Bairavi's step brother, while Manorama and Suruli Rajan played other major roles.

M Baskar who was impressed with Rajini's dedication in Aarupushpangal, went straight ahead casting Rajini in lead role for Bhairavi. M Baskar, having faith in Rajini to pull the crowds as hero. Initially, Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar agreed to give financial support for Bhairavi but when he heard Rajini is the hero, he withdrew the support and advised M Baskar to stop the movie or change the hero. He questioned M Baskar for choosing a villain in the lead role and hero as villain (Srikanth was acting as hero those days) and he assured to M Baskar that it will be a huge loss. M Baskar approached Muthuraman to play negative role but he refused to portray a negative character, Srikanth was finally selected for the role. With all these burden, M Baskar decided to direct the film.

The soundtrack and background score was composed by Ilaiyaraaja. Bairavi was the third film for Ilaiyaraaja.All lyrics were penned by Kannadasan.

Then he started his own production company "Oscar Movies" in 1980.Some of the Bhaskar's hit movies as a director and producer includes Theerpugal Thiruththapadalam, Soolam, Sattathin Thirappu Vizhaa, Chakravarthy. He then produced films Vishnu, Kadhal Rojave and Thotta. Vishnu is the first movie that Vijay acted in others production. Vijay earlier movies were produced by his father.Also Vijay honored his first producer Bhasker son Balajiprabhu during his Jilla movie audio launch in december 2013.

M Bhaskar was four times 'Secretary' of "Tamil Film Producers' Council", when his contemporary legends Kovai Chezhian, K Balachander, Bharathiraja and KRG were 'President'. He also served the 'South Indian Producers' Guild' as Secretary. He was also the Vice-president of South Indian Directors' Association. He served the 'South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce' for three decades. M Bhaskar along with Bharathiraja rose the Tamil Film Producers' Council's funds from a meager INR 26 to INR 2,00,000 during his tenure of service. M Bhaskar was considered to one of pillars of Tamil Film Producers' Council for reviving it from the financial crisis. He also served as Censor Board Member of Central Board of Film Certification, Government of India for many years. He was also an outside expert for sponsored Programme of Doordarshan Kendra, Chennai for a long period.

Bhaskar initially signed Prashanth for Kadhal Rojavae, but he got offer from Shankar for movie Jeans. Considering his career Bhaskar agreed to release prashanth from Kadhal Rojavae. Then he decided to introduce son of former actress Sheela to debut in his production Kadhal Rojavae also introduced Pooja Kumar as a heroine in 1997.According to the deal signed, Vishnu was not supposed to act in any other film until Kadhal Rojavae had been completed and released. However, during production, Vishnu could not wait and starred in a Malayalam film, while Keyaar was still shooting causing a rift between the actor and producer Bhaskar during the making of the project Pooja Kumar, who was crowned Miss India USA in 1995, was selected to make her debut as heroine and during production she was signed and dropped from other Tamil films of the period including V. I. P and Chinna Raja. The actress notably returned more than a decade later starring in the lead role in Kamal Haasan's bilingual Vishwaroopam. Kadhal Rojavae released after a delay in production in 2000.
Death

Bhaskar died on 13 July 2013 at the age of 78 due to a heart attack. Bhaskar is survived by his wife Meena Rani, sons Balaji Prabhu, Mariappa Babu, and a daughter Janakipriya.
M. R. Radha
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

M. R. Radha

Radha in his later years
Born
Madras Rajagopalan Radhakrishna
14 April 1907

Madras, Madras Presidency, British India (Now Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India)
Died 17 September 1979 (aged 72)

Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India
Other names Nadigavel
Occupation Actor, politician
Spouse(s)

Saraswathi Radha
Dhanalakshmi Radha
Premavathi Radha
Jayamal Radha
Geetha Radha
Children 9 (including M. R. R. Vasu, Radha Ravi, Raadhika and Nirosha)
Parent(s)

Rajagopalan (father)
Rajammal (mother)
Relatives Vasu Vikram
(Son of M. R. R. Vasu)
Family M. R. Radha family


Madras Rajagopalan Radhakrishna (14 April 1907 – 17 September 1979) was an Indian actor and politician active in Tamil plays and films. He was given the title "Nadigavel" (spearhead of acting) by Periyar E. V. Ramasamy.

Career

Madras Rajagopalan Radhakrishna was born on 14 April 1907 at Chintadripet, a locality in Chennai (then Madras), Tamil Nadu. Radha left his home at an early age due to a quarrel with his mother in which she declined to give an extra piece of fish to eat.

Radha was a popular theatre artiste who performed in more than 5000 stage shows. Starting at the age of 10, he appeared at first in small roles and eventually grew to a level that stories for dramas were custom made for him.

Radha gained popularity with the success of his stage play Ratha Kanneer. His performance in the 1954 film version of the play, directed by Krishnan–Panju, brought wider recognition of his talents and made him a household name in Tamil Nadu.

Radha played both villain roles and comedic roles. In the 1960s, roles were specially written for him, and he often overshadowed actors like MGR and Sivaji Ganesan.
M. G. Ramachandran shooting incident


On 12 January 1967, Radha and producer K.N. Vasu of Muthukumaran Pictures visited the actor and politician M. G. Ramachandran at his home to talk about a future project. During the conversation, Radha suddenly got up from his chair and shot twice at Ramachandran's left ear. Both bullets got lodged in Ramachandran's neck. Radha then turned the gun on himself and tried to shoot himself, but the bullet just scratched his right temple. Radha and Ramachandran were admitted to the Government General Hospital, Chennai, where they survived after proper treatment. The only eye witness for the shooting was Vasu.

In the assassination trial, held at Saithapet First Division Magistrate Court under Magistrate S. Kuppusami in May 1967, and later at the Chingleput Sessions Court held under Justice P. Lakshmanan, Radha was represented by eminent criminal attorney N. T. Vanamamalai. The verdict was delive