Suraj Venjaramoodu

In this Indian name, the toponymic surname is Venjaramoodu. It is not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Suraj.

Suraj Vasudevan (born 30 June 1976), professionally credited as Suraj Venjaramoodu, is an Indian actor, comedian, impressionist, and television presenter, who appears in Malayalam films, television and stage plays. He has acted in more than 250 films. He has won a National Film Award^[1] and four Kerala State Film Awards.

Suraj Venjaramoodu
Suraj in 2022
Born	(1976-06-30) 30 June 1976 (age 48) Venjarammoodu, Kerala, India
Education	Government ITI, Attingal
Occupations	Actor comedian impressionist television presenter
Years active	2000–present
Works	Full list
Spouse	Supriya Suraj ​ (m. 2005)​
Children	3
Awards	National Film Award for Best Actor (2013) Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor (2019) Kerala State Film Award for Best Comedian (2009, 2010, 2013)

Throughout the 2000s and towards mid-2010s, he played comedic roles in numerous films and won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Comedian three times (2009, 2010, 2013). In his later career, he found success in playing character and leading roles. In 2013, Suraj won the National Film Award for Best Actor for his lead role in Perariyathavar. In 2019, he won Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for Android Kunjappan Version 5.25 and Vikruthi.^[2]

Early life

Suraj is the youngest of the three children of Venjaramood K. Vasudevan Nair, a retired soldier from the Indian Army and Vilasini, a housewife.^[3] He was called "Kuttappan" by his parents and relatives. His elder brother V. Saji, was also an officer in Indian Army. His sister Sunitha V. V. is married and settled in Thiruvananthapuram. Suraj also wanted to serve in the Army after completing his Secondary School Leaving Certificate, but had to give up as he broke his arm in a bicycle accident. He received his primary education from K.V.M.L.P.S, Venjaramoodu.^[4] He completed his Mechanical diploma course from Government ITI, Attingal and turned to mimicry soon after. His breakthrough came with Jagapoka, a comedy program which was broadcast on Kairali TV.^[5]

Film career

Suraj started his career as a stand-up comedian. His mimicry shows were a success with the audience and he was noted for his artificial mockery of the Thiruvananthapuram accent. Later, he was also criticised for this from some audience during his early film career.^[6] He first acted in a film named Jagapoga which was a spoof of Malayalam movies.^[7] He played the role of Pachan as well as Dadasahib in this film. However the movie was a box office flop and received negative reviews. Suraj then went on to act in several minor roles in films such as Rasikan, Achuvinte Amma, Bus Conductor and Rasathanthram. Suraj grabbed the attention in Malayalam film industry after he assisted Mammootty with the Thiruvananthapuram accent in Rajamanikyam (2005). He would go on to act alongside Mammootty in many comedy films. The duo is considered one of the most memorable onscreen duos in Malayalam cinema. His first breakthrough came with Thuruppugulan (2006) where he played the sidekick role for the character of Mammootty.^[8] Suraj then went on to play the comedy roles in several hit films such as Classmates, Pachakkuthira, Chotta Mumbai and Hallo. In 2007, he got his first major supporting role again in a Mammootty starrer Mayavi, which became another major breakthrough in his career.^[9] Suraj received appreciation for his role as Peethamparan in Annan Thambi and Jabbar in Lollipop, both of which released in 2008. He played the lead role for the first time with Duplicate (2009). Suraj's iconic comedy character Dasamoolam Damu came out with the movie Chattambinaadu (2009) starring Mammootty. The character became popular several years after the release of Chattambinaadu and eventually attained a cult status.^[10][11] He won his first Kerala State Film Award in 2009, by winning the award for the Best Comedian for his performance in Ivar Vivahitharayal. He won the award again two times in 2010 and 2013 for the movies Oru Naal Varum and Daivathinte Swantham Cleetus respectively.^[12] Suraj's another popular comedy character is Idivettu Sugunan which came out with Pokkiriraja (2010). He was also praised for his role as Vadivelu in the Dileep starrer comedy movie Karyasthan. Suraj played some memorable roles in the movies China Town and Teja Bhai & family, both released in 2011. His other memorable comedy roles came out with the movies such as Mallu Singh, Mr. Marumakan, 101 Weddings, Manthrikan, Sound Thoma, Pullipulikalum Aattinkuttiyum, Ring Master, Bhaiyya Bhaiyya, Cousins and Two Countries.^[13]

Suraj's potential to play the character and lead roles came out in 2013 as he won that year's National Award for his performance in Perariyathavar, at the 61st National Film Awards. Noted filmmaker and jury chairman Saeed Mirza, while announcing Suraj's award in a press meet, said: "Suraj has played a municipal sweeper [in the film] but it is an incredibly dignified performance. He excels in comedy but in this film Suraj has brilliantly played a reticent character. I would not have been able to sleep had his name not been in the list of awardees".^[14]

Suraj received critical appreciation for his acting with a potent cameo in Action Hero Biju (2016).^[15] This movie was also a turning point in his career and a breakthrough performance as he underwent a complete evolution with his acting.^[16] In Karinkunnam 6's, he portrayed a ruthless police officer and in Oru Muthassi Gadha, he played the lead role. Suraj returned to do the comedy role with the 2016 blockbuster Pulimurugan. In the movie Aby (2017) he played the character of a selfish neighbour. Suraj's another critically acclaimed performance came out with Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum (2017), where he played a lead character alongside Fahad Fasil, who also received appreciation for his performance.^[17] He went on to play lead roles in Varnyathil Aashanka and Kuttanpillayude Sivarathri (2018). He bagged the Kerala State Film Award for the Best Actor in 2019 for his performance in Vikruthi and Android Kunjappan Version 5.25, both the films in which he played a lead role alongside Soubin Shahir.^[18] His performance in Driving License alongside Prithviraj also received appreciation.^[19] In 2021, Suraj played the lead role in The Great Indian Kitchen which received positive reactions from various film critics and was well received by the audience.^[20] In 2022, he played a pivotal role in Prithviraj starrer Jana Gana Mana which was critically acclaimed and was a commercial success.

Personal life

In 2005, Suraj married Supriya at Vaikuntam Auditorium, near Padmanabhaswamy Temple. They have three children: Kashinathan, Vasudev and Hridya. Kashinathan has acted in the films Annan Thampi and Teja Bhai & Family.^[21]

Filmography

Main article: Suraj Venjaramoodu filmography

Awards and nominations

Suraj Venjaramoodu awards and nominations

The President, Pranab Mukherjee presenting the Rajat Kamal Award for Best Actor (for Perariyathavar) to Suraj Venjaramoodu, at the 61st National Film Awards function held at New Delhi on May 03, 2014
Awards and nominations Award Wins Nominations
Totals[a]
Wins	22
Nominations	26
Note Certain award groups do not simply award one winner. They acknowledge several different recipients, have runners-up, and have third place. Since this is a specific recognition and is different from losing an award, runner-up mentions are considered wins in this award tally. For simplification and to avoid errors, each award in this list has been presumed to have had a prior nomination.

List of Suraj Venjaramoodu awards and nominations

Award	Year	Category	Film	Result
National Film Awards	2013	Best Actor	Perariyathavar	Won
Kerala State Film Awards	2009	Best Comedian	Ivar Vivahitharayal	Won[22]
	2010		Oru Naal Varum	Won[23]
	2013		Daivathinte Swantham Cleetus Pullipulikalum Aattinkuttiyum	Won[24]
	2019	Best Actor	Vikruthi Android Kunjappan Version 5.25	Won[25]
South Indian International Movie Awards	2012	Best Actor in a Comedy Role (Malayalam)	Mr. Marumakan	Won[26]
	2013		Pullipulikalum Aattinkuttiyum	Nominated
	2017	Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Malayalam)	Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum	Nominated
	2019	Best Actor (Malayalam)	Vikruthi Android Kunjappan Version 5.25	Nominated[27]
		Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Malayalam)	Driving Licence Finals	Nominated
CPC Cine Awards	2019	Best Actor in a Lead Role	Vikruthi Android Kunjappan Version 5.25 Driving Licence Finals	Won
North American Film Awards	2018	Best Supporting Actor	Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum	Won[28]
Asianet Film Awards	2007	Best Actor in Humorous Role	Hallo	Won
	2010		Various films	Won
	2011		Various films	Won
	2014		Cousins	Won
	2017	Best Character Actor	Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum	Won
	2018		Theevandi Njan Marykutty Kuttanpillayude Sivarathri	Won
	2019	Best Actor Critics Award	Android Kunjappan Version 5.25	Won
Vanitha Film Awards	2010	Best Comedian	Various films	Won
	2018	Best Supporting Actor	Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum	Won[29]
	2020	Special Performance (Actor)	Android Kunjappan Version 5.25 Driving Licence	Won[30]
Asiavision Awards	2013	Best Comedian	Pullipulikalum Aattinkuttiyum Daivathinte Swantham Cleetus	Won
	2017	Outstanding Performer Of the Year(male)	Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum	Won[31]
Asianet Comedy Awards	2016	Award for Multifaceted Talent	Various Films	Won[32]
	2017	Top TV Performer All-time favorite of Media (TV)	Various TV Shows	Won

Controversies

An accident occurred on the Thammanam-Karanakodam road on the night of July 29, 2023 when Suraj was behind the wheel of a speeding car. The collision resulted in injuries to a bike rider, 31-year-old Sarath from Manjeri, who suffered a fracture in his right big toe along with injuries to other toes. This results in a ban of Suraj's licence by Kerala Motor Vehicles Department.^[33]

References

1. "61st National Film Awards". Press Information Bureau. 17 April 2014. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
2. "Suraj Venjaramoodu, Kani Kusurthi and Lijo Jose Pellissery win big at 50th Kerala State Film Awards". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 13 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
3. "Contact Us | Vadizen Technologies". Archived from the original on 7 March 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
4. "പേരറിയിച്ചവന്‍...!!! | mangalam.com". www.mangalam.com. Archived from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
5. "Kairali Tv". The Hindu. 9 September 2002. Archived from the original on 28 January 2004. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
6. Nagarajan, Saraswathy (17 October 2020). "Suraj Venjaramoodu: It feels good when one's hard work is recognised". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
7. "Review". Sify. 20 December 2001. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
8. "How Suraj Venjaramoodu Went From Playing The Fool To Hero". HuffPost. 15 February 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
9. "From loud comedian to versatile actor: The evolution of Malayalam cinema's Suraj Venjaramoodu". The News Minute. 9 August 2017. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
10. "Shafi: Suraj and I decided to do Dasamoolam Damu because of his fans – Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
11. "ദശമൂലം ദാമു മടങ്ങി വരുമോ; ഒടുവില്‍ ആ സര്‍പ്രൈസ് പൊട്ടിച്ച് സുരാജ്". Mathrubhumi. 27 October 2019. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
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13. "Happy Birthday Suraj Venjaramoodu: Interesting facts about the actor". The Times of India. 30 June 2021. Archived from the original on 30 June 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
14. Tankha, Madhur (16 April 2014). "Ship of Theseus named best film at National film awards". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
15. "Top cameos by Mollywood stars". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
16. Madhu, Vignesh (2 August 2017). "Action Hero Bjiu was the mega bumper after which offers started pouring in: Suraj Venjaramoodu". onlookersmedia. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
17. "Suraj Venjaramoodu: I wondered why Dileesh gave me the role that he had kept for Fahadh – Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
18. നാരായണൻ, സംജദ് (3 December 2019). "'നടപ്പില്‍, നോട്ടത്തില്‍, വെറുപ്പിക്കലില്‍, മുരടന്‍സ്വഭാവത്തില്‍ ഒന്നിലും സുരാജെന്ന നടനില്ല'". Mathrubhumi. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
19. Anand, Shilpa Nair (8 November 2019). "Suraj Venjaramoodu on getting selective and serious". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
20. "Suraj Venjaramoodu: I have always wished for good roles and now by working hard, I get to play them – Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 January 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
21. "Happy Birthday Suraj Venjaramoodu | സുരാജ് വെഞ്ഞാറമൂടിന് പിറന്നാൾ ആശംസയുമായി താരങ്ങൾ". News18 Malayalam. 30 June 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
22. "Mammootty, Shwetha Menon win best actor awards". The Hindu. 6 April 2010. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
23. "Salim Kumar, Kavya receive Kerala state film awards". The Indian Express. 9 December 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
24. "Kerala State Film Awards: Mohanlal's 'Drishyam', Fahadh, Lal and Suraj Bag Awards [Complete List of Winners]". International Business Times. 20 April 2014. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
25. Balach, Logesh (13 October 2020). "Kerala announces 50th State Film Awards: See full list of winners". India Today. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
26. "Dhanush, Shruti Haasan win top laurels at SIIMA awards". NDTV. 14 September 2013. Archived from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
27. "Dhanush, Manju Warrier, Chetan Kumar, others: SIIMA Awards announces nominees". The News Minute. 28 August 2021. Archived from the original on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
28. "The Winners of NAFA Awards 2018". NAFA Website. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
29. "Vanitha Film Awards 2018 : Winner's List". Vinodadarshan. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
30. "Vanitha film awards 2020: Mohanlal wins best actor, Manju Warrier is best actress". Onmanorama. 9 February 2020. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
31. "Asiavision Movie Awards 2017:Deepika Padukone, Dulquer Salman, Manju Warrier, Tovino Thomas grace the show". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
32. "Asianet Comedy Awards presented". The New Indian Express. 26 December 2016. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
33. "Actor and Comedian Suraj Venjaramood under trouble". Times of India.

External links

• Suraaj Venjarammoodu at IMDb
• Profile at msidb.org
• Interview on JB Junction – YouTube