Prithviraj Sukumaran

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Prithviraj

Born 16 October 1982
Trivandrum,Kerala, India Flag of India
Other name(s) Raju, Prithvi
Years active 2002 - present

Prithviraj is a popular Malayalam & Tamil film actor. He is the son of yesteryear's popular actors Sukumaran and Mallika(daughter of Chakrapani, elder brother of M.G.Ramachandran, late tamil actor and former chief minister of Tamilnadu). His brother Indrajith and sister-in-law Poornima are also film actors. Making his debut with the critically acclaimed film Nandanam, Prithviraj has since established himself in the Malayalam film industry through a variety of roles including those in "Stop Violence, Chocolate, Vaasthavam and Classmates. He is also making his mark in the Tamil film industry.

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[edit] Early life

Prithviraj is the younger son of the famous Malayalam actor, late Sukumaran and actress Mallika Sukumaran. His elder brother Indrajith is also an actor. He did his schooling from the Sainik School, [Kazhakkoottam, Thiruvananthapuram] and Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram. Prithviraj, along with his brother Indrajith, used to take part in debates and elocutions in the school[1]. Prithviraj had also won the title of Mr LA Fest, in 1999 at LA Fest, an annual inter school Arts Festival hosted by Loyola School, Trivandrum. He represented Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan at the competition. He remains the only person to win the personality contest LA-Persona twice in the history of the competition(in 1998 & 1999)which started in 1996.[2].

He was still pursuing his Bachelor's in Computer Engineering at the University of Tasmania, Australia when he entered the film world in 2002.[3]Prithviraj was grabbed by the successful screen playwright Renjith to play the lead role in his directorial debut Nandanam (2002) during one of his vacation trips to Kerala.

It was Fazil, a leading Malayalam film director, who introduced him to Renjith[4]. Following a decent performance in Nandanam he was flooded with several exciting offers from the industry so that he decided to take a break from his studies and concentrate on acting.

[edit] Career

Prithviraj began his career in Malayalam in 2002. He was soon invited to act in Tamil films. He eventually became highly successful in both Malayalam and Tamil within very short span of time. Based on his enthralling performances, national Newspaper The Hindu has written that "(whether)his latest films ‘Chocolate,’ ‘Satham Podathey’ and ‘Kannamoochi Yenada’ flop or succeed, Prithiviraj is one of the young stars who will still be in the reckoning"[5]

[edit] Malayalam

Screen Playwright Renjith’s search for a new face to cast the lead role in his first directorial venture became successful when director Fazil presented him the results of a screen test that Prithviraj had earlier taken with him. After watching the video recording of the test, Renjith, immediately invited Prithviraj, who was on his vacation in Thiruvananthapuram, for a personal interview at Kozhikode. Renjith, apparently impressed by his physique and agility offered him the lead role in his debut film Nandanam (2002). Prithviraj accepted the offer and thus began his amazingly successful acting career in Malayalam tinsel world[6].

Ever since he endeared Malayali audiences as 'Manu' in Nandanam, Prithviraj has been flooded with tempting offers to the effect that he has already worked with some of the best directors in the business and on an average, hears close to three or four scripts a day[7]. Quite early in his career Prithviraj was fortunate to act in the films directed by leading figures in Malayalam film industry such as Lohitadas, Vinayan, Kamal and Bhadran.

Shortly after starring in Nandanam, alongside actress Navya Nair, Prithviraj managed to win the hearts of the Malayalam film audience, especially that of female viewers. He was noted for his performance in Stop Violence and Swapnakoodu, and also could mark his presence at the box-office. He was critically acclaimed for the performance of the character Sub Inspector Solomon Joseph in Vargam. In this film his character had to go through a wide range of emotions. In the first half of the film he was the corrupt and malicious Inspector, in the second half he falls victim to his arrogance and repents and tries to turn a new leaf.

In 2006, Lal Jose's Classmates was released and it turned out to be the biggest blockbuster in Malayalam cinema. The film had an ensemble cast consisting of Jayasurya, Narain, Indrajith and Kavya Madhavan. The Hindu quotes Shyamaprasad the famous Malayalam film director who has won many awards and accolades that Prithviraj's advantages are his talent and intelligence irrespective of his box office successes: "It's not fair to gauge his merit by such success rates alone. Prithviraj is an intense actor who is very talented and very intelligent"[8]. Shyamaprasad cast him in lead role in his much acclaimed offbeat flick Akale.

After Vargam, Prithviraj acted in another film Vaasthavam with the same director, M. Padmakumar. It was a hard hitting drama in which Prithviraj again got noticed for his intense acting. The role fetched him the Kerala State Award for Best Actor for 2006. He is the youngest actor to receive the State Award for the Best Actor.

His latest film Chocolate directed by Shafi has been receiving glowing reviews[9].His own performance in the film has been highly praised as contributing tremendously to the success the film enjoys[10]. Kangaroo directed by Raj Babu, has just been released. Shooting of the film Thalappavu directed by Madhupal with Prithviraj in the lead role, is in progress. It is expected to be released soon. The media reports about many of his upcoming Malayalam projects such as Robinhood, One Way Ticket etc are pouring in. He is now being cast in the lead role for the film titled Punyam Aham[11] produced and directed by Raj Nair, Thakazhi's grandson.

[edit] Tamil

In the mean time he made his Tamil debut as the villain in Kana Kandein (2005). His performance was noteworthy for his unconventional portrayal of the charector. Soon he got an opportunity to act under the direction of Bhagyaraj in the film Parijatham.

Bhagyaraj has said in an interview that that he became keen on involving Prithviraj in his project essentially influenced by the Media acclaim the actor received in Tamil Nadu following his amazing performance in Kana Kandein. "The entire media unanimously appreciated him in ‘Kana Kandein’. So it was with that confidence that I signed him"[12].

His performance in Parijatham also received similar attention and appreciation in Kollywood. One of his recent Tamil flick was Mozhi in which his splendid performance was highly praised. The film ran in packed houses for several weeks/months. His newest Tamil films are Sathum Podathey and Kannamoochi Yenada. The success of the films and his own intense performance in them have helped him to enhance his stardom in Tamil tinsel world. The subtle performance of Prithviraj in Kannamoochi Yenada has received special mention by many reviewers[13].

Vellithirai, the Tamil remake of Udayananu Tharam, a Malayalam box office success is his latest release in Tamil. Most reviews unequivocally praise Prithviraj's performance in the film. He is described as “flawless" in his role as an aspiring director. “His character demands underplaying and he exactly does he same. He is able to express the anger and agony of being cheated with aplomb. The way he reacts to the betrayal stands out”[14].Yet another review echoes the same feeling: “Prithviraj ... makes the best of his assets -- his expressive eyes, which glint in fury, soften with love, or brim over with frustrated tears” [15]

[edit] Telugu

Many Telugu producers and directors have been attempting to cast Prithviraj in their films. First there was news about Kalakanindhi[16]directed by Bhushan Kalyan produced by Ravi and Mahesh Kumar under the banner of Swan Creations. Late Raghuvaran and Anjala Zhaveri were co-staring with Prithvi in this film. Originally palnned to be complted in 2007, the project apears to have been delayed. The latest is the news of Police Police ( a Tamil & Telugu bilingual film) directed by Manmohan, a debutante, and produced by Chandu [17] Prithviraj, along with Srikanth is apparantly cast in the role of a police officer [18]. Prithviraj is reported to be well known in Telugu through the Telugu dubbing of the Malaylam film Ananthabadram as Sivapuram[19].

[edit] Awards

  • Film Critics Award 2003 for Meerayude Dukham Muthuvinte Swapnam [20] (January 2004)


[edit] Filmography

[edit] Malayalam Films
Year Title Role Co-stars Director
2002 Nakshathra Kannulla Rajakumaran Avanundoru Rajakumari Ananthu Gayathri Reguram Rajasenan
2002 Stop Violence Saathan Chandra Laxman A.K Sajan
2002 Nandanam Manu Nandakumar Navya Nair Renjith
2003 Vellithira Style Raj/Raghuram Navya Nair Bhadran
2003 Katha Nandhan Menon Kavya Madhavan Sundar Das
2003 Nammal Thammil Vicky Geethu Mohandas Viji Thampi
2003 Meerayude Dukham Muthuvinte Swapnam Muthu Renuka Menon Vinayan
2003 Swapnakoodu Kunjoonju / Alex Chandy Meera Jasmine, Bhavana Balachandran Kamal
2003 Ammakilikkoodu Vivek Navya Nair Padmakumar
2003 Chakram Chandrahaasan Meera Jasmine, Chandra Lakshman Lohitadas
2004 Vellinakshatram Vinod Varma / Chandrachoodan Karthika, Meenakshi Vinayan
2004 Satyam S.I. Sanjeev Kumar Priyamani Vinayan
2004 Akale Neil Geethu Mohandas Sheela Shyama Prasad
2005 Albudhadweep Hari Mallika Kapoor Vinayan
2005 Krithyam Satya, Christy Lopez Pavithra, Eva Viji Thampi
2005 Police Shekar Bhavana Balachandran V.K. Prakash
2005 Daivanaamathil Anwar Bhavana Balachandran Jayaraj
2005 Ananthabhadram Anandan Kavya Madhavan, Manoj K Jayan Santhosh Sivan
2005 Achan Urangaatha Veedu Harikrishnan Samvrutha Sunil Lal Jose
2006 Vargam S.I. Solomon Joseph Renuka Menon Padmakumar
2006 Classmates P. Sukumaran Kavya Madhavan Lal Jose
2006 Vasthavam Balachandran Adiga Kavya Madhavan, Samvrutha Sunil,Sandhya Menon Padamakumar
2006 Pakal Nandakumar Jyothirmayi M A Nishad
2006 Oruvan S.I. Jeevan Meera Vasudev, Indrajith Vinoo Anand
2007 Avan Chandiyude Makan Kurien Chandy Sridevika Thulasidas
2007 Khakhee S. I. Unnikrishnan Mukesh, Manasa, Meera Vasudev Bipin Prabhakar
2007 Veeralipattu Hari Murali, Padmapriya, Jagathy Sreekumar Kukku Surendran
2007 Nadiya Kolapetta Rathri Zia Musafir
(Cameo Appearance)		 Suresh Gopi, Kavya Madhavan, Suraaj Venjaramoodu K. Madhu
2007 Chocolate Shyam Balagopal Jayasurya, Roma, Samvrutha Sunil, Remya Nabeeshan Shafi
2007 Kelkaatha Shabdham (Satham Podaathay dubbed) Ravichandran Padmapriya, Nithin Sathya, Nasser, Suhasini Vasanth
2007 Kangaroo Josekutty Palathunkal Kavya Madhavan, Jayasoorya Raj Babu

[edit] Tamil Films
Year Title Role Co-stars Director
2003 Moonram Pirai (Swapnakoodu dubbed) Kuttikannan Meera Jasmine, Bhavana Balachandran Kamal
2005 Kana Kandaen Madan Srikanth, Gopika, Vivek, Amitha K V Anand
2006 Parijatham Surendar Saranya Bhagyaraj, Prakash Raj Bhagyaraj
2007 Mozhi Karthik Jyothika Saravanan, Swarnamalya, Prakash Raj Radha Mohan
2007 Arputha Theevu (Adbuthadweepu dubbed) Hari Mallika Kapoor, Malavika Vinayan
2007 Satham Podathey Ravichandran Padmapriya, Nithin Sathya, Nasser, Suhasini Vasanth
2007 Kannamoochi Yenada Harish Venkatramanan Sandhya, Sathyaraj, Raadhika V.Priya
2008 Vellitherai Saravanan Prakash Raj, Gopika, Lakshmi Rai Viji
2008 Satya (Satyam dubbed) S.I. Sanjeev Kumar Priyamani Vinayan

[edit] Telugu Films
Year Title Role Co-stars Director
2006 Sivapuram (Ananthabhadhram dubbed) Kavya Madhavan, Manoj K Jayan Santhosh Sivan

[edit] Upcoming Films
Year Title Role Co-stars Director
2008 Thalappavu (Malayalam) Naxal Joseph Lal, Atul Kulkarni, Dhanya Mary Madhupal
2008 Twenty:20 (Malayalam) Guest Appearance Mohanlal, Mammootty, Suresh Gopi Etc.. Joshi
2008 One Way Ticket (Malayalam) Kunjaappu (Jehangir) Bhama, Radhika, Mammootty Bipin Prabhakar
2008 Thirakatha (Malayalam) Akbar Ahmed Priyamani, Ajmal Ameer Renjith
2008 Dr.Love / Love Doctor (Malayalam) Biju Arookutty
2008 M.G Road (Malayalam) Triple Role Shaji Kailas
2008 Robinhood (Malayalam) Robinhood Jayasurya Joshi
2008 Untitled Film (Malayalam) Kunchacko Boban, Jayasurya Shafi
2008 Cousins (Malayalam) Mohanlal Lal Jose
2009 Punyam Aham (Malayalam) Samvrutha Sunil, Nedumudi Venu Raj Nair
2008 Abhiyum Naanum (Tamil) Cameo appearance Prakash Raj, Trisha Krishnan Radha Mohan
2008 Ninaithale Inikkum (Tamil) Sakthi Vasu, Priyamani Kumaravel
2008 Kalakanindhi (Telugu) Anjala Zaveri, Raghuvaran Bhushan Kalyan
2008 Police Police(Tamil-Telugu Bi-lingual) Ravikanth Srikanth Manmohan

[edit] Quotes

  • "Although films have always fascinated me, my perception was that I would fare better behind them. But now I love being an actor. I have worked with some of the best directors in the business and also, with new comers. On an average, I hear close to three or four scripts a day. And I have never fixed a deadline to be the next super star. Still, I do want to be remembered in film history, somewhere down the line, with some strong performances. That is all I aspire for"[24]
  • "What I enjoy about acting is the adrenaline rush. When the director says, 'Action,' there is a huge rush of adrenaline, I don't know why. I just love the feeling of becoming somebody else"[25]
  • "I used to take part in debates and elocutions in the school but was never an actor material. If at all my destiny lay in cinema, I thought it would have been on the technical side"[26]
  • "I used to belong to that tribe of people who never knew what they wanted. Now, finally, I am doing something I like. I like the rush of adrenalin, the kick that acting gives me. I want to be an actor till I die"[27]

[edit] Trivia

  • Prithviraj resembles his father, the late Sukumaran, both in looks and nature[28]
  • Prithviraj has an elder brother,Indrajith, who is also an actor.
  • Prithviraj in his early years was asked to wear a beard in films because directors felt that it would make him look older.
  • He is the youngest actor to receive the Kerala State Award for the Best Actor, breaking the record held by Mohan Lal for nearly 20 years.
  • In 2004, Prithviraj was selected the Best Actor along with Navya Nair as Best Actress through a Gallup poll for the best talents in the TV-Film world conducted by the Emmanuel Saries, Thrissur. The award carried a cash prize of Rs. 25,000, a citation and a plaque. [29]
  • Prithviraj is currently the Brand Ambassador of LG, India for the Kerala Sector.

[edit] External links

[edit] Interviews

[edit] Reviews

[edit] Others

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[edit] References

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