Nakul (actor)

Nakul (born June 15, 1984) is a Tamil film actor and playback singer. Brother of former film actress Devayani, he debuted as a lead actor in the 2003 film Boys directed by S. Shankar, in which he also sang his first song in the film's soundtrack album.^[1] He later made a breakthrough portraying a psychotic lover in Kadhalil Vizhunthen (2008), before winning acclaim for his performances in Maasilamani (2009) Naan Rajavaga Pogiren (2013) and Vallinam (2014).

Career

Nakul was 18 when he was chosen for the part of Juju in Shankar's coming-of-age film Boys (2003). His family had initially sent some pictures of his elder brother Mayur to Shankar's office, but after seeing Nakul in one of the pictures, Shankar approached him to portray a leading role alongside an ensemble cast of newcomers.^[2][3] The film opened in August 2003 to mixed reviews but the high profile nature of the technical team ensured that the film was publicized and took a good opening at the box office. Unlike some of the other cast members from Boys, Nakul's acting career failed to take off and a subsequent Telugu language film titled Keelu Gurram, in which he played a supporting role, went on to become a failure at the box office. He struggled to get a breakthrough as an actor and during the period, he worked as a playback singer in films, notably recording for Harris Jayaraj in his albums for Anniyan, Ghajini and Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu.^[4]

He signed on to feature in Prasad's Kadhalil Vizhunthen, his first film as a lead actor, in 2006 and lost close to 20 kilograms in order to fit into the role of his character. Nakul revealed that the director and himself were wary that the film would define their careers in the film industry, and shot on a trial-and-error basis and were not in a hurry to complete the film, with production taking almost two years. The film gained unexpected publicity after "Nakka Mukka", a song composed by Vijay Antony for the soundtrack, became a big success and the venture was consequently selected by media giants Sun Pictures to become their first project for film distribution.^[5] Portraying a semi-psychotic character who refuses to accept the death of his lover, the film saw Nakul paired alongside actress Sunaina. The film released in 2008 and became a commercial hit, with critics praising his performance stating "Nakul is riveting" and that "he holds the film together and dances with élan, and has a good future."^[6] Sun Pictures also chose to distribute his next venture, the romantic comedy Maasilamani (2009) opposite Sunaina again, with the film becoming a surprise box office success.^[7][8] He next featured in AGS Entertainment's Kandhakottai with Poorna, which opened to average response critically and commercially.

Nakul subsequently went four years without a film release, though continued to work on several ventures simultaneously. Prithvi Rajkumar's thriller drama film Naan Rajavaga Pogiren released in 2013 to mixed reviews, with a critic noting Nakul "tries hard to infuse energy into the enterprise but cant carry such a heavy action role with conviction."^[9] His next release, Vallinam (2014), had been in production since mid 2011 and featured Nakul as a basketball player. To prepare for the role, Nakul underwent special training to "ensure that he lived the role rather than act".^[10][11] The film opened to positive reviews, with a critic noting "Nakul gives his career's best performance. He proves that a hero can step out of the commercial zone and take up roles that can still be liked by audience."^[12] He will next be seen in Naga Venkatesh's Narathan, while K. S. Adhiyaman's long-delayed venture Amali Thumali, in which Nakul co-stars with Shanthnu Bhagyaraj, is also expected to be complete in 2014. In 2015 his Tamizhuku En Ondrai Azhuthavum released which turned to be a blockbuster in his career.

Personal life

Nakul was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra into a Konkani family, to Jayadev and Lakshmi.^[13][14] He is the younger brother of actress Devayani, who is eleven years older than him. His elder brother, Mayur, has also attempted to make a career as an actor, though several of his films have been stalled prior to completion.^[15]

After appearing in two successive venture with Sunaina, media outlets romantically linked the pair, before Nakul clarified the pair were just close friends.^[16][17]

Filmography

As an actor

As playback singer

References

External links

• Nakul at the Internet Movie Database