Jayaram Subramaniam, (born 10 December 1965) known mononymously as Jayaram, is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...
,
Tamil films, along with a few
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
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
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is confe ...
, two
Kerala State Film Awards, one
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Government of Tamil Nadu. Th ...
, and four
Filmfare Awards South.
Jayaram started as a mimicry artist at the
Kalabhavan
Kalabhavan ( lit. "The House of Arts"), also known as Cochin Kalabhavan, is a centre for learning performing arts in Kochi, India. ''Kalabhavan'' is notable and known for being the first organized performing mimicry group in Kerala and which p ...
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 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
''Georgootty C/O Georgootty'' ( ml, ജോര്ജ്ജൂട്ടി C/O ജോര്ജ്ജൂട്ടി) is a 1991 Indian Malayalam–language romantic comedy / drama film starring Jayaram, Thilakan and Sunitha in major roles. It was d ...
'' (1991), ''
Malootty'' (1992), ''
Ayalathe Adheham'' (1992), ''
Meleparambil Aanveedu'' (1993), ''
CID Unnikrishnan B.A., B.Ed.
''CID Unnikrishnan B.A. B.Ed.'' (Malayalam: CID ഉണ്ണികൃഷ്ണന് B.A. B.Ed) is a 1994 Indian Malayalam-language detective comedy film starring Jayaram, Maniyanpilla Raju, Jagathy Sreekumar, Rohini, Indrans and Sukumaran. ...
'' (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
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Government of Tamil Nadu. Th ...
. Jayaram won his first Kerala State Film Award, the
Special Jury Award
Special or specials may refer to:
Policing
* Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force
* Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer
Literature
* ''Specia ...
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 3 times, for his performances in ''Thooval Kottaram'' (1996), ''
Theerthadanam
''Theerthadanam'' (''Pilgrimage'') is a 2001 Malayalam film directed by G. R. Kannan and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair based on his story ''Vanaprastham''. The film stars Jayaram and Suhasini Maniratnam. The film met with critical acclaim. It ...
'' (2001), and ''
Manassinakkare'' (2003).
In 2011, the
Government of India
The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
honoured him with
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is confe ...
, the fourth highest civilian award of the country for his contributions towards the Indian film industry.
Early life
Jayaram was born on 10 December 1965 in a Tamil
brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...
family as the second among three children of late Subramaniyam and late Thankam at
Perumbavoor,
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South C ...
. 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
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
from
Sree Sankara College
Sree Sankara College was founded in 1954 by Swami Agamananda, a social reformer and a foresighted scholar of Sri Ramakrishna Advaita Ashram. The institution was established with a view to perpetuating the memory and doctrines of the great saint ...
,
Kalady. And also did a graduate course in
Chenda from the National Institute of Ulsavam Sciences & Technology,
Thrissur
Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and ...
. He became a medical representative soon after college and later joined the
Kalabhavan
Kalabhavan ( lit. "The House of Arts"), also known as Cochin Kalabhavan, is a centre for learning performing arts in Kochi, India. ''Kalabhavan'' is notable and known for being the first organized performing mimicry group in Kerala and which p ...
institute and 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.
Career
After college, he joined Kalabhavan, a professional mimicry troupe in
Kochi
Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of ...
. At the age of 22, he was introduced into the cinema field 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
Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...
in his film career till 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 Rajasenan directed. The film was a commercial success and ran for over 200 days in theatres. His on-screen chemistry with
Shobana worked well in films
Innale,
Meleparambil Aanveedu and
Dhwani.
He is noted for playing in
Kamal's films during the late 1980s and early 1990s, in films such as ''
Pradeshika Varthakal
''Pradeshika Varthakal'' () is a 1989 Indian Malayalam-language comedy film directed by Kamal and produced by S. Sivaprasad, the film stars Jayaram, Parvathy, Jagathy Sreekumar and Innocent, with a film score composed by Johnson.
Plot
Th ...
'' (1989), ''
Peruvannapurathe Visheshangal'' (1989) and ''Shubha Yathra'' (1990) (all of which scripted by
Ranjith
Ranjit or Renjith may refer to:
Religion
* Anton Ranjith Pillainayagam (born 1966), Sri Lankan Tamil Catholic priest, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Colombo
* Malcolm Ranjith (born 1947), Sri Lankan Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, C ...
), 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 ''Ponn Muttayidunna 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
Sreenivasan (born 6 April 1956) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, dubbing artist and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Sreenivasan has starred in over 225 films. Sreenivasan wrote the screenplays of films such as ...
. Anthikkad and Jayaram later went on to make ''
Thooval Kottaram'' (1996), which was commercial success,
continued their success in films - ''Irattakuttikalude Achan'' (1997), ''
Veendum Chila Veettukaryangal'' (1999), ''
Kochu Kochu Santhoshangal'' (2000), ''
Yathrakarude Sradhakku'' (2002), ''
Manassinakkare'' (2003), ''
Bhagya Devatha
''Bhagyadevatha'' () is a 2009 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-drama film written and directed by Sathyan Anthikkad from a story by Rajesh Jayaraman. It features Jayaram, Kaniha, and Narain.
Plot
Benny Chacko, a cable operator, is ambit ...
'' 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
Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (; born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada ...
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
Mohanlal Viswanathan (born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appe ...
in
Bharath Gopi
Gopynathan Velayudhan Nair (2 November 1937 – 29 January 2008), popularly known by the stage name Bharat Gopy, was an Indian actor, producer and director. He was one of the first actors to be associated with the New Wave cinema movement in K ...
'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
''Ayalathe Adheham'' () is a 1992 Indian Malayalam-language family comedy drama film directed by Rajasenan and written by Sasidharan Arattuvazhi. It stars Jayaram, Gautami, Siddique, Vaishnavi, Meena, and Thilakan. The songs were composed by Pe ...
'' (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
Sreenivasan (born 6 April 1956) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, dubbing artist and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Sreenivasan has starred in over 225 films. Sreenivasan wrote the screenplays of films such as ...
and
Mukesh was the highest grossing Malayalam movie of 1999 and collected 11 crore. 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
''Veruthe Oru Bharya'' () is a 2008 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written by K. Gireesh Kumar and directed by Akku Akbar. The film stars Jayaram, Gopika and Nivetha Thomas in the lead roles. The film was a commercial success at the box o ...
'' (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
Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywo ...
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
''Panchatanthiram'' () is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language comedy film directed by K. S. Ravikumar and written with Kamal Haasan, with the dialogues by Crazy Mohan. The film stars Kamal Haasan, Jayaram, Ramesh Aravind, Sriman, Yugi Sethu, Simran, ...
''. 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
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...
and
Tamil films.
In 2008, he made a comeback after a series of commercial flops by the film ''
Veruthe Oru Bharya
''Veruthe Oru Bharya'' () is a 2008 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written by K. Gireesh Kumar and directed by Akku Akbar. The film stars Jayaram, Gopika and Nivetha Thomas in the lead roles. The film was a commercial success at the box o ...
'' (2008), which was both critical and commercial success at the box office and ran over 100 days in theatres.
In 2009, he performed in Sathyan Anthikkad's ''
Bhagyadevatha'', a commercial success
and in 2010 his first film was ''
Happy Husbands'', commercial success with 150 days theatrical run, 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
''Swapna Sanchari'' () is a 2011 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama film directed by Kamal, starring Jayaram and Samvrutha Sunil in the lead roles. It was a success at the box office. Innocent won the Asianet Film Award for Best Supportin ...
''.
In 2016 he acted in Adupuliyattam and Pattabhiraman in 2019. In 2020 he was confirmed to play an important role in Maniratnam movie
Ponniyin Selvan. He also acted in Sanskrit movie Namo.
Personal life
Jayaram married actress
Parvathy on 7 September 1992. The couple have a son
Kalidas Jayaram who is an actor as well winner of the
National Film Award for Best Child Artist in 2003 for his second movie ''
Ente Veedu Appuvinteyum''. Jayaram also has a daughter Malavika.
[ Currently, he resides at Valasaravakkam, ]Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of ...
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil languag ...
with family. Jayaram is a trained Chenda artist. He has stated that he is an elephant lover.
Awards
;Civilian awards
* 2011 – Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is confe ...
; Kerala State Film Awards
* 1996 – Special Jury Award
Special or specials may refer to:
Policing
* Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force
* Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer
Literature
* ''Specia ...
– '' Thooval Kottaram''
* 2000 – Second Best Actor – '' Swayamvara Panthal''
;Tamil Nadu State Film Awards
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Government of Tamil Nadu. Th ...
* 2000 – Special Prize – '' Thenali''
;Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...
* 1996 – Best Actor
Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play.
The term most often refers to th ...
– '' Thooval Kottaram''
* 2001 – Best Actor
Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play.
The term most often refers to th ...
– ''Theerthadanam
''Theerthadanam'' (''Pilgrimage'') is a 2001 Malayalam film directed by G. R. Kannan and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair based on his story ''Vanaprastham''. The film stars Jayaram and Suhasini Maniratnam. The film met with critical acclaim. It ...
''
* 2002 – Best Supporting Actor (Tamil) – '' Panchathantiram''
* 2003 – Best Actor
Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play.
The term most often refers to th ...
– '' Manassinakkare''
; Asianet Film Awards
* 1998 – Best Actor Award – '' Sneham''
* 2001 – Best Actor Award – ''Theerthadanam
''Theerthadanam'' (''Pilgrimage'') is a 2001 Malayalam film directed by G. R. Kannan and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair based on his story ''Vanaprastham''. The film stars Jayaram and Suhasini Maniratnam. The film met with critical acclaim. It ...
'', '' Uthaman''
* 2008 – Most Popular Actor Award – ''Veruthe Oru Bharya
''Veruthe Oru Bharya'' () is a 2008 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written by K. Gireesh Kumar and directed by Akku Akbar. The film stars Jayaram, Gopika and Nivetha Thomas in the lead roles. The film was a commercial success at the box o ...
''
* 2011 – Most Popular Actor Award – ''Swapna Sanchari
''Swapna Sanchari'' () is a 2011 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama film directed by Kamal, starring Jayaram and Samvrutha Sunil in the lead roles. It was a success at the box office. Innocent won the Asianet Film Award for Best Supportin ...
''
* 2012 – Special Commomeration
* 2014 – Golden Star of the year
* 2018 - Golden Star of the year
;Asianet Comedy Awards
Asianet Comedy Awards is an award ceremony for Malayalam television and films presented by Asianet, a Malayalam-language television network from the south-Indian state of Kerala. The awards are given for the actors who made excellence in the com ...
* 2015 - Best Actor - '' Thinkal Muthal Velli Vare''
* 2017 - Best Actor - '' Achayans''
;South Indian International Movie Awards
South Indian International Movie Awards, also known as the SIIMA Awards, rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. It was launched in 2012 by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Brinda Prasad Adusimilli to appre ...
* 2012 — Nominated—Best Comedian – '' Thuppakki''
* 2019- Nominated- SIIMA Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role (Telugu) for -'' Bhaagamathie''
;Other awards
* 1996 – Sini Best Actor Award for '' Thooval Kottaram''
* 1996 – Rotary Club Award for '' Thooval Kottaram''
* 2002 – V. Shantaram Award for his performance in ''Shesham
''Dalbergia sissoo'', known commonly as North Indian rosewood or ''shisham'', is a fast-growing, hardy, deciduous rosewood tree native to the Indian subcontinent and southern Iran. ''D. sissoo'' is a large, crooked tree with long, leathery lea ...
''
* 2008 – J.C Foundation award for the best actor for his performance in ''Veruthe Oru Bharya
''Veruthe Oru Bharya'' () is a 2008 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written by K. Gireesh Kumar and directed by Akku Akbar. The film stars Jayaram, Gopika and Nivetha Thomas in the lead roles. The film was a commercial success at the box o ...
''
* 2011 – Sathyan Award for Lifetime Achievement
* 2014 – Vayalar Film award for Best Actor for '' Nadan'' and ''Swapaanam
''Swapaanam'' (English translation: ''The Voiding Soul'') is a 2014 Indian Malayalam film directed by Shaji N. Karun and produced by M. Rajan for Horizon Entertainments. The film features Jayaram and Kadambari in the lead roles, alongside Siddi ...
''
* 2014 – Kerala Kalamandalam M. K. K. Nair Puraskaram
* Jaihind TV awards 2011: Best actor ( Kadha Thudarunnu)
Filmography
References
External links
* https://web.archive.org/web/20190506074929/http://jayaramonline.com/
*
{{authority control
Indian male film actors
Kerala State Film Award winners
Living people
Male actors from Kochi
20th-century Indian male actors
21st-century Indian male actors
Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts
Male actors in Malayalam cinema
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners
Filmfare Awards South winners
1965 births
Non-Malayali Keralites
Chenda players
Indian male classical musicians
Musicians from Kochi
Male actors in Tamil cinema