Babu is a former Indian

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

who has appeared in leading roles. After making his debut in

Bharathiraja Bharathiraja (born 17 July 1941) is an Indian film director and actor who works mainly in the Tamil film industry. Making his debut in 1977 with ''16 Vayathinile'', he is known for realistic and sensitive portrayals of rural life in his films. ...

's ''

En Uyir Thozhan ''En Uyir Thozhan'' () is a 1990 Indian Tamil-language film directed by Bharathiraja. The film was released on 16 February 1990 with positive reviews but failed at box-office; however it garnered cult following. Plot The film revolves aroun ...

'' (1990), the actor appeared in a few more Tamil films before being paralysed following a failed stunt sequence.

Career

Babu made his acting debut in

's 1990 film ''

'', portraying the leading role in a cast featuring rookie actors

Thennavan ''Thennavan'' is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language political action film written and directed by newcomer A. M. Nandakumar and produced by Vijayakanth, who played the title role Thennavan IAS, in-charge as the Chief Election Commissioner and fight ...

and

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...

. About his performance, a critic noted "Babu beautifully essays his character", "understanding the complexities of the character, Babu forcefully brings out the intensity associated with his fanaticism yet never loses the innate guileless nature of Dharma" and "Babu makes the role his own with his body language, unique facial expressions and dialogue delivery". Though the film did not perform well upon release, it has since garnered attention as a "cult classic". He then went on to play the lead role in

Vikraman Vikraman is an Indian film director primarily working in Tamil cinema. Career 1990–1994 He worked as an assistant to actor and director R. Parthiban in ''Puthiya Pathai'' (1989), which was the latter's debut film as a director and an actor. ...

's ''

Perum Pulli ''Perum Pulli'' () is a 1991 Indian Tamil-language film written and directed by Vikraman, starring Babu and Suman Ranganathan. It was released on 14 January 1991. Plot ''Perum Pulli'' is the story of an innocent youth and his love for his m ...

'' (1991) featuring alongside actress

Suman Ranganathan Suman Ranganath is an Indian model and actress. She has starred in Kannada, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi films. Personal life Suman Ranganath was born in Tumakuru, Karnataka. She was married to Bunty Walia, an Indian film pro ...

and another role in ''

Thayamma ''Thayamma'' is a 1991 Indian Tamil-language film directed by Gopi Bhimsingh, starring Pandiyan, Anand Babu and Babu with Geetha and Oru Thalai Ragam Shankar. The film also starred Goundamani as well as Senthil. The film was a remake of Mal ...

'' (1991). His final release til date was ''Ponnukku Sethi Vanthachu'', which released in late 1991. Following a stunt sequence gone wrong when shooting for a film, Babu suffered spinal injuries and became paralysed in the early 1990s. He subsequently stopped working as an actor. In 1997, he worked as a dialogue writer for the unreleased film, ''Smile Please'' starring

Prakash Raj Prakash Raj (born Prakash Rai; 26 March 1965) is an Indian actor, film director, producer, television presenter, and politician. Known for his works in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and Malayalam-language films, he is the recipient of several ...

, which would have marked the debut for filmmaker

Radha Mohan Radha Mohan is an Indian film director of the South Indian film industry. He is known for his work in the films '' Mozhi'' (2007), ''Abhiyum Naanum'' (2008), '' Payanam'' (2011) and ''Kaatrin Mozhi'' (2018). Career Radha Mohan began work on ...

. In June 2004, director

Ponvannan Ponvannan (born Shanmugam; 23 September 1963) is an Indian actor and director who has worked in Tamil cinema and television. After beginning his career as an artist (painter), Ponvannan apprenticed as a director and writer under Bharathiraja. H ...

revealed that he was going to make a film based on the life of his friend, Babu, and that he would use the profits from his film ''Gomathy Nayagam'' to fund the venture. However, the film eventually did not materialise.

Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Babu Living people 20th-century Indian male actors Male actors in Tamil cinema Year of birth missing (living people)