Jeevan (Tamil actor)

Not to be confused with Jeevan (Hindi actor).

Jeevan (born Vijayabaskar Rangaraj) is an Indian actor in the Tamil film industry. He first appeared in the film University (2002). However, this was followed by greater success Kaakha Kaakha (2003). Following a 3-year sabbatical, he returned as an actor in the main role with Susi Ganesan's Thiruttu Payale (2006), which earned him praise.^[1] He signed up for the remake of the 1974 film Naan Avanillai (2007), and post-release gained even more praise for helping it become a success.^[2]

Jeevan
Jeevan at the Adhibar Press Meet
Born	Vijayabaskar Rangaraj (1975-07-06) 6 July 1975 (age 49) Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2002–2010; 2015-present

Biography

He graduated from the St. Bede's School in Chennai. One of his classmates was actor Surya Sivakumar. He took up BA in Theatre Arts. He studied Theatre in London, and then took a 2½ years training in acting at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in Hollywood. He worked as a bartender in a pub in East London called 'Wetherspoons'.^[2][3]

Career

He first appeared in the film University but remained largely unnoticed due to poor public opinion of the film. However, this was followed by greater success as Pandiya in Kaakha Kaakha.^[4][5] Despite winning critical acclaim and receiving several offers to play the antagonist in Tamil films, Jeevan waited two years and opted against signing any more films since he wanted to play lead characters. In March 2005, he was offered the film Thotta directed by Selva and accepted to work on the film, though delays meant he had starred in other films as protagonist before it released.^[6]

Following a three-year hiatus, he returned as an actor in the main role with Susi Ganesan's Thiruttu Payale, which earned him praise. He signed up for the remake of the 1974 film Naan Avanillai, and post-release gained even more praise for helping it become a success. His recent releases include Thotta (co-starring Priyamani) and Machakaaran (opposite Kamna Jethmalani). His other ventures include Jeyikkira Kuthira and Asariri are yet to be released.^[7][8] Pambattam released in 2024 after a four year delay.^[9]

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
2002	University	Gandhi
2003	Kaakha Kaakha	Pandiya	Filmfare Award for Best Villain ITFA Best Villain Award
2006	Thiruttu Payale	Manickam
2007	Naan Avanillai	Joseph Fernandez / Annamalai / Vignesh / Madhavan Menon / Zakir Hussein / Hariharan Das / Shyam Prasad
	Machakaaran	Vicky
2008	Thotta	Shanmugham
2009	Naan Avanillai 2	Joseph Fernandez
2015	Adhibar	Siva
2024	Pambattam	Boominathan / Saravanan	Dual roles[10]