Napoleon (actor)

Nepoleon Duraisamy
MP
Incumbent
Assumed office
28 May 2009
Preceded by A. Raja
Personal details
Born Kumaresan Duraisamy
2 December 1963
Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India
Political party Bharatiya Janata Party
Spouse(s) Jayasudha Nepoleon
Children Dhanoosh Nepoleon
Gunal Nepoleon
Residence Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
New Delhi, Delhi, India
Education St. Joseph's College, Trichy
Occupation Film actor
politician
entrepreneur
Religion Hinduism
Website actornapoleon.com

Kumaresan Duraisamy (born 2 December 1963), better known by his stage name Napoleon, is a Tamil film actor, politician[1] and the founder and chairman of the Jeevan Technologies. He was the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment in Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Cabinet. During his early ages, he acted in nearly 100 movies in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam language and Kannada films.

Early life

Kumaresan Duraisamy, better known as Napoleon, was born on 2 December 1963—the fifth of six children. His family was occupied in agriculture. He graduated from St. Joseph's College, Trichy. His Father is Duraisamy Reddiar and Mother Saraswathi Ammal

Career

Politics

After college, he moved to Trichy and became enthused by the ideologies of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party. He joined the party in which his uncle K. N. Nehru was already a member and at that time the Public Welfare Minister of the state government.

Napoleon contested the State Assembly elections of 2001, winning the Villivakkam constituency contest and thereby becoming a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu. He lost his membership in the 2006 elections, when he contested from the Mylapore constituency and was defeated by actor S. Ve. Shekhar. Subsequently, Napoleon nurtured the Perambalur constituency in the hope of becoming a member of parliament for the DMK, and succeeded in the 2009 Lok Sabha election. He was then appointed Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment in Union government. Seen as a loyalist of Azhagiri, he was sidelined by DMK after the expulsion of the latter from the party in 2014. He joined the BJP in the presence of party President Amit Shah on 21st December 2014.

Films

When aged 27, he watched the film Udhayam, the dubbed version of the Telugu film Siva, and was inspired to take up acting. He entered the Tamil film industry in 1991 with P. Bharathiraja's rural film Pudhu Nellu Pudhu Naathu, playing the antagonist role. Other roles followed, including in Yejamaan (1993) Seevalaperi Pandi, Devasuram, Ravanaprabhu, Vattaram, Pokkiri and Dasavatharam. His role as Mundakkal Shekharan in the blockbuster action film Devasuram is widely regarded as his best performance to-date. He reprised the role in the Ravanaprabhu, a sequel to Devasuram.

Among the forthcoming Tamil and Telugu films in which he features are Saleem, Oye!, Pallikondapuram and Azhagarmalai.

Entrepreneurship

In 2000 Napoleon founded Jeevan Technologies in Chennai, and then expanded into the USA and New Zealand. In 2008, the Jeevan IT Academy was started with the mission of training graduates to enter the corporate world with a thorough knowledge of industry standards.

Achievements and awards

Filmography

Year Film Role Language Notes
1991 Pudhu Nellu Pudhu Naathu Shankaralingam Tamil Debut as actor
MGR Nagaril John Peter Tamil
1992 Abhirami Tamil
Bharathan C.I.D. Johnson Tamil
Chinna Thayee Chamundi Tamil
Idhu Namma Bhoomi Mirasudar Tamil
Nadodi Thendral Swamikannu Tamil
Mudhal Seedhanam Tamil
Oor Mariyadhai Veerapandi Tamil
Pangali Tamil
Thalaivasal Chandran Tamil
1993 Captain Magal Robert Royappa Tamil
Devasuram Mundakal Shekaran Malayalam
Dharma Seelan Omer Sheriff Tamil
Enga Muthalali Jayaraman Tamil
Kizhakku Cheemayile Shivanadi Tamil
Kunthiputhrudu Sambasivadu Telugu
Manikkuyil Tamil
Maravan Shankarapandiyan Tamil
Minmini Poochigal Victor Tamil
Munarivippu Ranjith Tamil
Nallathe Nadakkum Pannayar Tamil
Pudhupiravi Tamil
Rajadhi Raja Raja Kulothunga Raja Marthanda Raja Gambeera Kathavaraya Krishna Kamarajan Guru Subramaniam Tamil
Yejaman Vallavarayan Tamil
1994 Gandheevam Vincent Malayalam
Hello Brother Mithra Telugu
Maindhan Velayudam Pillai Tamil
Manirathnam Mithra Tamil
Pudhupatti Ponnuthayi Tamil
Seevalaperi Pandi Pandi Tamil Debut as Hero
Thamarai Thamarai Tamil
Thozhar Pandian Thaamaraiselvan Tamil
Vanaja Girija Anand Tamil
1995 Aakaya Pookkal Suriya Tamil
Asuran Matthaiya Tamil
Chinna Mani Rajappa Tamil
En Pondatti Nallava Rajappa Tamil
Mamanithan Nagu Tamil
Muthu Kaalai Sakthivel Tamil
Rajamuthirai Markandeyan Tamil
Thamizhachi Rasayya Tamil
1996 Musthaffaa Musthaffaa Tamil
Puthiya Parasakthi Rajadurai Tamil
Rajali Rajali Tamil
Thayagam Tamil
1997 Ettupatti Rasa Singaraj Tamil Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize
1998 Bhagavathsingh Tamil
The Government Tamil, Telugu, Kannada
Kizhakkum Merkkum Suryamurthy Tamil
1999 Billa Ranga Ranga Kannada
Ethirum Pudhirum Arasappan Tamil
Maya Tamil, Telugu, Kannada
Ponvizha Bharathi Tamil
Rowdy Brothers Kannada
Sivan Murugan Tamil
Suyamvaram Krishna Tamil
2000 Karisakattu Poove Kottai Sami Tamil
Manu Neethi Muthalagu Tamil
Rayala Seema Ramanna Chowdri Jadadhari Swamiji Telugu
The Warrant Ravi Ramakrishna Malayalam Dubbed into Tamil as The Warrant
2001 Kalagalappu Veluthambi Tamil
Megasandesam Fr. Rossorriya Malayalam Dubbed into Tamil as Rosi
Mitta Miraasu Singa Perumal Tamil
Ravana Prabhu Mundkal Sekaran Malayalam
Veettoda Mappillai Manikkam Tamil
2002 Kanal Kireedam Albin Malayalam Dubbed into Tamil as Mary Albert
Thenkasi Pattanam Dass Tamil
2004 Adi Thadi Surya Tamil
Remote Deenadayalu Tamil
Virumaandi Nallama Nayakkar Tamil
2005 Ayya Madasamy Tamil
Veeranna Mariappan, Veeranna Tamil
2006 Vattaram Gurupadam Tamil
2007 Pokkiri Mohammed Mohideen Khan Tamil
2008 Aayutham Seivom Elumalai Tamil
Dasavathaaram Kulothunga Chola II Tamil
Krishnarjuna Nallama Nayakkar Telugu
Sandai Kamaraj Tamil
2009 Azhagar Malai Pandithurai Tamil
Oye! Dr. Harish Chandra Prasad Telugu
Saleem Singamanaidu Telugu
2011 Ponnar Shankar Thalaiyoor Kaali Tamil
2012 Palli Kondapuram Kedathirikai Tamil Delayed
2014 Koratala Siva's Untitled Project Telugu Pre-production

References

  1. Manoj, CG (29 May 2009). "After MLA roles, Napoleon ready for ‘'real power’'". The Indian Express. Retrieved 5 August 2012.

External links