Jayaram

Jayaram Subramaniam, (born 10 December 1965) known mononymously as Jayaram, is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema, in addition to Tamil and Telugu language films. He is also a chenda percussionist, mimicry artist, and occasional playback singer. Jayaram has acted in more than 200 films and has received several awards, including the Padma Shri, two Kerala State Film Awards, one Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, and four Filmfare Awards South.

Jayaram started as a mimicry artist at the Kalabhavan Institute during the 1980s. He made his acting debut in a leading role in Padmarajan's 1988 film Aparan. He established himself as a successful leading actor in the 1990s by starring in family dramas and comedies—such as, but not limited to Peruvannapurathe Visheshangal (1989), Shubhayathra (1990), Sandhesam (1991), Georgootty C/O Georgootty (1991), Malootty (1992), Ayalathe Adheham (1992), Meleparambil Aanveedu (1993), CID Unnikrishnan B.A., B.Ed. (1994), Puthukkottayile Puthumanavalan (1995), Aniyan Bava Chetan Bava (1995), Thooval Kottaram (1996), Krishnagudiyil Oru Pranayakalathu (1997), Summer in Bethlehem (1998), Veendum Chila Veettukaryangal (1999), One Man Show (2001), and Manassinakkare (2003).

The 2000 Tamil film Thenali won him two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. Jayaram won his first Kerala State Film Award, the Special Jury Award for his performance in Thooval Kottaram (1996). He won the Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actor for his performance in Swayamvara Panthal (2000). Jayaram won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor three times, for his performances in Thooval Kottaram (1996), Theerthadanam (2001), and Manassinakkare (2003). In 2011, the Government of India honoured him with Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in the country for his contributions to the Indian film industry.

Jayaram was born on 10 December 1965 in a Tamil Brahmin family as the second among three children of late Subramaniyam and late Thankam at Perumbavoor, Kerala. His mother is from Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. He had an elder brother named Venkataram, who died at a young age, and a younger sister named Manjula. He did his primary education at Government Boys High School, Perumbavoor. He graduated with a bachelor's degree from Sree Sankara College, Kalady and learnt Chenda under the guidance of guru Pallassana Nandakumar. He became a medical representative soon after college and later joined the Kalabhavan Institute where he learned and performed mimicry on a number of stages, which paved his way to the Malayalam film industry. Malayalam writer Malayattoor Ramakrishnan is Jayaram's maternal uncle.

After college, he joined Kalabhavan, a professional mimicry troupe in Kochi. At the age of 22, he was introduced to the cinema by script writer and filmmaker Padmarajan who gave Jayaram his launching pad with the 1988 film Aparan. Jayaram subsequently acted in Padmarajan's Moonnam Pakkam (1988) and Innale (1989). Padmarajan became his mentor in his film career until the former's death in January 1991. He became one of the Superstars of the Malayalam film industry through the film Meleparambil Aanveedu (1993) which was directed by Rajasenan. The film was a commercial success and ran for over 200 days in theatres. His on-screen chemistry with Shobana worked well in the films Innale, Meleparambil Aanveedu and Dhwani.[10][11][12]

He is noted for playing in Kamal's films during the late 1980s and early 1990s, in films such as Pradeshika Varthakal (1989), Peruvannapurathe Visheshangal (1989) and Shubha Yathra (1990) (all of which scripted by Ranjith), where he co-starred with his wife Parvathy. He later did a film scripted by Ranjith with the story by Jagathy Sreekumar and directed by Viji Thampi named Witness (1988). He teamed up with Viji Thampi and Ranjith in Nanma Niranjavan Srinivasan (1990), where he played a police constable who is in search of a criminal played by Mukesh. During the early 90s he acted in Bharathan's Keli (1991) and Malootty (1992).

He has acted in several of Sathyan Anthikkad's films. Their first film was Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu (1988). Around that time, Jayaram played a supporting role in Sathyan Anthikkad's Artham (1989). Thalayanamanthram (1990) and Sandesham (1991), were both written and co-starred by Sreenivasan. Anthikkad and Jayaram later went on to make Thooval Kottaram (1996[13]), which was commercial success,[14][15] continued their success in films - Irattakuttikalude Achan (1997), Veendum Chila Veettukaryangal (1999), Kochu Kochu Santhoshangal (2000), Yathrakarude Sradhakku (2002), Manassinakkare (2003), Bhagya Devatha and Kadha Thudarunnu.

In his films, he regularly ensured cast included K.P.A.C Lalitha, Unnikrishnan and Jagathy Sreekumar.

He acted in a leading role along with Mammootty and Suresh Gopi in Joshi's Dhruvam (1993). Other films with Gopi include Viji Thampi's Nagarangalil Chennu Raparkam (1990), Thooval Sparsam (1990), Jayaraj's Paithrukam (1993), and Sibi Malayil's Summer in Bethlehem (1998). He co-starred with Mohanlal in Bharath Gopi's Ulsavapittennu, Peruvannapurathe Visheshangal (1989) and Priyadarshan's Advaitham (1991).

His association with director Rajasenan created many movies such as Kadinjool Kalyanam (1991), Ayalathe Addeham (1992), Meleparambil Aanveedu (1993), CID Unnikrishnan B.A., B.Ed. (1994), Aniyan Bava Chetan Bava (1995), Aadyathe Kanmani (1995), Swapna Lokathe Balabhaskaran (1996), and Kadhanayakan (1997). He also played Aravindan in Siddique's Friends (1999) in which he co-starred with Sreenivasan and Mukesh was the highest grossing Malayalam movie of 1999 and collected ₹ 11 crore.[16] In the first decade of the 21st century his commercial successful films include Kochu Kochu Santhoshangal (2000), Yathrakarude Sradhakku (2002), Ente Veedu Appuvinteyum (2003), Manassinakkare (2003), Veruthe Oru Bharya (2008). His critically acclaimed roles include Karunakaran in B. Kannan's Theerthadanam (2001) and Lonappan in Rajeev Kumar's Sesham (2002).

He also forayed into Tamil cinema including roles in Gokulam, Purushalakshanam, Priyanka, Kolangal, Murai Mamman and Pathini. He played the roles of Dr Kailash and Ayyappan Nair in the Kamal Haasan-starred Thenali and Panchathanthiram. They first came together on-screen in Chanakyan (1989). Recently he has done more supporting roles in Tamil, such as antagonist roles in Saroja and Dhaam Dhoom, and a comic role in Aegan.

His movies include Manassinakkare (2003), Njaan Salperu Raman Kutty (2004), Finger Print (2005), Alice in Wonderland (2005), Madhuchandralekha (2006), Moonnamathoral (2006), and Anchal Oral Arjunan (2007). In mid-2008, he played Sugunan in Akku Akbar's Veruthe Oru Bharya (2008) and Thuppakki (2012), which established him as one of the leading comedy actors of Malayalam and Tamil films.

In 2008, he made a comeback after a series of commercial flops by the film Veruthe Oru Bharya (2008), which was both critical and commercial success at the box office and ran over 100 days in theatres.[17][18][19][20][21]

In 2009, he performed in Sathyan Anthikkad's Bhagyadevatha, a commercial success[22][23][15][24] and in 2010 his first film was Happy Husbands, commercial success with 150 days theatrical run,[25][26][27][28][29] and next he again joined with Sathyan Anthikkadu for Kadha Thudarunnu. In 2011, he was featured in commercially successful films like Makeup Man, along with comedic roles in Seniors and Chinatown and also Swapna Sanchari.[30] He then acted in films such as Aadupuliyattam (2016) and Pattabhiraman (2019). He played an important role Azhwarkkadiyan Nambi alias Thirumala in Mani Ratnam historical action adventure Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022).[31]

Jayaram married actress Parvathy on 7 September 1992. The couple has a son named Kalidas Jayaram who is an actor as well as the winner of the National Film Award for Best Child Artist in 2003 for his second movie Ente Veedu Appuvinteyum [32] and a daughter Malavika . Currently, he resides at Valasaravakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu with family.[33] Jayaram is a trained Chenda artist. He has enthralled audience through his chenda performances at various temple festivals.[34] He has stated that he is an elephant lover.

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