Pappanikunnel Thankappan Saju (born 14 October 1973), better known by his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Saju Navodaya, is an Indian actor and comedian who works in

Malayalam films Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ''Elippathayam' ...

, television and stage. He began his career as a comedian on stage shows and later forayed into television and into films. In January 2020, he contested in the second season of Malayalam

reality TV Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

show ''Bigg Boss''.

Personal life

Saju Navodaya was born sixth among nine children to Pappanikunnel Thankappan and Manka at

Udayamperoor Udayamperoor is a town situated in Ernakulam district, Kerala, in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the ...

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 K ...

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 ...

, India. He did his schooling at SNDP HSS, Udayamperoor. He was a regular participant in almost all the competitions in school youth festivals. Saju has directed many dramas which won prizes in

Ernakulam district Ernakulam, ; ISO: ''Eṟaṇākuḷaṁ'', in Malayalam: എറണാകുളം), is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala, that takes its name from the eponymous city division in Kochi. It is situated in the central part o ...

level youth festivals in late 1990s. He studied at Sree Rama Varma Government Sanskrit College,

Thrippunithura Thrippunithura or Tripunithura (), is a prominent historical and residential region in the City of Kochi in Kerala, India. Located about 7 km (4 mi) from the city centre, Tripunithura was the capital of the erstwhile Kingdom of Cochin ...

before starting a dance institute in Udayamperoor to teach classical and cinematic dance. He is also an ardent follower of sports and enjoys playing

Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

and

Association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

. He has organized and managed sports teams, sports clubs and sports events, such as cricket and football tournaments. Saju Navodaya is married to Resmi, a trained classical dancer.

Career

Saju began his career as an amateur mimicry artist performing in stage shows for some local clubs and festivals in his hometown. A professional mimicry artist

Manoj Guinness Manoj Guinness is an Indian actor and comedian who appears in Malayalam films, television and stage shows. Personal life Manoj hails from Ernakulam, Kerala. Manoj did his schooling from Govt High School Ambalamugal and Gateway High School. Mano ...

gave him an opportunity in his professional mimicry troupe in

named Cochin Navodaya. Later on, Saju's name was changed to Saju Navodaya after associating with the troupe. He was known for imitating actors that made him a regular performer during stage shows presented by his troupe in India and abroad. As of 2020, Saju is the Captain of the Mimicry Artists Association Fighter (MAA Fighters), a team in the Celebrity Cricket Fraternity (CCF), a

league that includes film actors, directors, assistant directors, musicians, producers, choreographers, television actors, mimicry artistes, and media professionals. In January 2020, he entered as a contestant in the second season of the 15 week-long Malayalam

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

show ''Bigg Boss'' (Malayalam season 2), broadcast on

Asianet Asianet may refer to: Disney Star channels *Asianet Communications, an Indian media company wholly owned by Disney Star **Asianet (TV channel), a Malayalam language general entertainment channel **Asianet Plus, a Malayalam language general entertai ...

and hosted by actor

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 appeare ...

. He was elected as the Captain of the Bigg Boss house four times, in week 2, 6, 7, and 8.

Filmography

Films

Television

Bhima Jewels Comedy Festival In Hindu epic Mahabharata, Bhima ( sa, भीम, ) is the second among the five Pandavas. The ''Mahabharata'' relates many events that portray the might of Bhima. Bhima was born when Vayu, the wind god, granted a son to Kunti and Pandu. Afte ...

*''Comedy Stars'' season 1 *''Comedy Super Nights 2'' *''Cinemaa Chirima'' *''Pashanam Shaji Speaking'' *''Kaliyil Alpam Kaaryam'' *''Tamaar Pataar'' *''Comedy Stars Plus'' *''Onam Upperi'' *''Nalla Best Family'' *'' ''Bigg Boss'' (Malayalam season 2)'' *''Priyapetta Nattukare'' *''Comedy stars season 2'' *'' Star Singer season 8'' *''Boeing Boeing'' (Web Series) *''Sura Chettai '' (Web Series) *'' Funs Upon a time ''

Playback singer

Awards

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Navodaya, Saju Living people Male actors from Kochi Male actors in Malayalam cinema Indian male film actors Malayalam comedians Indian male comedians 21st-century Indian male actors Malayalam playback singers Indian male playback singers Singers from Kochi 1977 births Bigg Boss Malayalam contestants