Unnikrishnan Mukundan (born 22 September 1987), commonly known as Unni Mukundan, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in
Malayalam cinema
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' ...
. He has also acted in 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 ...
and
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
films.
Unni Mukundan made his acting debut with the
Tamil film
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 ''Kollywood' ...
''
Seedan
''Seedan'' ( ta, சீடன்) ( en, Disciple) is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language romantic fantasy drama film directed by Subramaniam Siva. The film stars Unni Mukundan and Ananya in the lead, and features Dhanush in an extended cameo appearan ...
'' (2011), a remake of ''
Nandanam
Nandanam is a neighborhood in Chennai, India. It is a busy location and is home to many commercial institutions. This locality also offers a calm residential location. Nandanam Arts College was established in 1901. Nandanam Junction, on the a ...
''(2002). At the age of 23, after playing several small roles, Unni got his
breakthrough with his lead role in
Vysakh
Ebbey Abraham (born 1 June 1980), better known by his stage name Vysakh, is an Indian film director who works in Malayalam films. He began his career as a television anchor and later as an associate director to Joshiy and Johny Antony. He debut ...
's action comedy ''
Mallu Singh
''Mallu Singh'' () is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language action comedy film written by Sethu and directed by Vysakh. The film stars Unni Mukundan, Kunchacko Boban, Biju Menon Manoj K. Jayan and Samvrutha Sunil. The film is credited as 50th film o ...
'' (2012). Later, he went on to do major roles in several Malayalam films including commercially successful films like ''
Vikramadithyan
''Vikramadithyan'' is a 2014 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-drama film co-produced and directed by Lal Jose. The film stars Unni Mukundan and Dulquer Salmaan. Nivin Pauly did a cameo appearance in the film. The screenplay is by Iqbal Kuttippu ...
'' (2014), ''
KL 10 Patthu
''KL 10 Patthu'' is a 2015 Malayalam romantic comedy film written and directed by debutant Muhsin Parari. Unni Mukundan and Chandini Sreedharan portrays the lead characters in the film, along with Saiju Kurup, Aju Varghese, Neeraj Madhav, Mamu ...
'' (2015), ''
Style
Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to:
* Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable
* Design, the process of creating something
* Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...
'' (2016), ''
Oru Murai Vanthu Parthaya'' (2016) and ''
Achayans
''Achayans'' is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language comedy crime thriller film directed by Kannan Thamarakkulam and written by Sethu. Starring Jayaram, Unni Mukundan, Prakash Raj, Amala Paul, '' (2017). He made his
Telugu film
Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hy ...
debut with the 2016 film ''
Janatha Garage
''Janatha Garage'' () is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language action drama film written and directed by Koratala Siva. The film stars Mohanlal, N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Samantha and Nithya Menen. The plot revoles around Sathyam (Mohanlal) and Anand (Jr. NT ...
''.
Unni Mukundan made his debut as a lyricist and singer with ''
Achayans
''Achayans'' is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language comedy crime thriller film directed by Kannan Thamarakkulam and written by Sethu. Starring Jayaram, Unni Mukundan, Prakash Raj, Amala Paul, ''. He has also sponsored road safety measures by appearing in the motor vehicle department's advertisements.
Early life
Unni Mukundan was born on 22 September 1987 to
Malayali
The Malayali people () (also spelt Malayalee and also known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian peoples, Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala in India, occupying its southwestern Malabar coast. ...
parents Mukundan Nair and Roji Mukundan. He completed his school from Pragati Higher Secondary School at Ahmedabad. He is graduated in English Literature and Journalism from Prajyoti Niketan College, Pudukad (
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 t ...
). He was brought up in
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...
,
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
. In his early days, he used to work with Motif, now known as
TTEC
TTEC Holdings, Inc. (formerly named "TeleTech"), is an American customer experience technology and services company headquartered in Englewood, Colorado.
History
Founding and early developments (1982-1996)
The company was founded in 1982 b ...
.
Career
Debut and initial success (2011–2013)
In 2011, Unni made his film debut in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
film ''
Seedan
''Seedan'' ( ta, சீடன்) ( en, Disciple) is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language romantic fantasy drama film directed by Subramaniam Siva. The film stars Unni Mukundan and Ananya in the lead, and features Dhanush in an extended cameo appearan ...
'', a remake of the Malayalam film ''
Nandanam
Nandanam is a neighborhood in Chennai, India. It is a busy location and is home to many commercial institutions. This locality also offers a calm residential location. Nandanam Arts College was established in 1901. Nandanam Junction, on the a ...
''. Unni entered the Malayalam film industry through ''
Bombay March 12
''Bombay March 12'' is a 2011 Malayalam–language Indian drama film based on the 1993 Bombay bomb blasts. The film marks the directorial debut of noted screenwriter Babu Janardhanan. Mammootty, Roma and Unni Mukundan play the lead roles. The n ...
'' alongside
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 cinema, Malayalam films. He has also appeared in Tamil l ...
, directed by
Babu Janardhanan
Babu Janardhanan is an Indian screenwriter and director, known for Malayalam films.
Biography
Personal life
He was born at Changanassery, Kerala, as the son of Mr. Janardanan and Mrs. Pankajakshi. Babu Janardhanan did his schooling at Madapp ...
. For his performance in ''
Bombay March 12
''Bombay March 12'' is a 2011 Malayalam–language Indian drama film based on the 1993 Bombay bomb blasts. The film marks the directorial debut of noted screenwriter Babu Janardhanan. Mammootty, Roma and Unni Mukundan play the lead roles. The n ...
'', he was adjudged best newcomer by
SIIMA
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 apprec ...
,
Asianet Film Awards
The Asianet Film Awards is an award ceremony for films presented annually by Asianet, a Malayalam-language television network from the south-Indian state of Kerala. Asianet says that awards ceremony has been instituted to honour both artis ...
,
Asiavision,
Jaihind TV
Jaihind Television is an Indian Malayalam-language channel, based in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. It was launched on 17 August 2007, in Delhi by the Indian National Congress President and United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
T ...
,
Amrita TV
Amrita TV is an Indian Malayalam Language general Entertainment television channel owned by Mata Amritanandamayi Math. It was launched in 2005.
Theme song
The theme song, "Lokasamastha," was composed by Rahulraj for Mata Amritanandamayi's 50t ...
and
Vanitha Film Awards
The Vanitha Film Awards are presented annually by ''Vanitha'', an Indian magazine from the ''Malayala Manorama'' group in the south Indian state of Kerala. The awards ceremony has been instituted to honour both artistic and technical excellence i ...
. He played a supporting role in ''
Thalsamayam Oru Penkutty
''Thalsamayam Oru Penkutty'' (''A Girl On Live'') is a 2012 Indian Malayalam satirical comedy drama film directed by T. K. Rajeev Kumar, starring Nithya Menon, Shweta Menon, and Unni Mukundan in the lead roles.
Cast
*Nithya Menon as Manjula ...
'', directed by
T. K. Rajeev Kumar
Thazhathupurakkal Karunakara Panicker Rajeev Kumar (born 20 September 1961) is a National Award-winning Indian director of Malayalam films, from Trivandrum. He is the winner of five Kerala State Film Awards for Best Film, Director, Story Writer ...
.
Unni got his turning point from the movie ''
Mallu Singh
''Mallu Singh'' () is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language action comedy film written by Sethu and directed by Vysakh. The film stars Unni Mukundan, Kunchacko Boban, Biju Menon Manoj K. Jayan and Samvrutha Sunil. The film is credited as 50th film o ...
'' (2012) directed by
Vyshakh. The movie became a huge hit and ran over 100 days. He did cameo appearances in movies ''
Theevram
''Theevram'' () is a Malayalam-language crime thriller film
written and directed by Roopesh Peethambaran in his directorial debut, and starring Dulquer Salmaan, Shikha Nair, Sreenivasan, Vinay Forrt, Vishnu Raghav, Riya Saira and Anu Mohan. The ...
'' and ''
The Hitlist
''The Hitlist'' is a 2012 Indian action thriller film written, directed and produced by Bala (in his directorial debut). It was simultaneously shot in Malayalam and Kannada languages. The film stars Bala, Dhruv Sharma, and Aishwarya Devan, whil ...
''. In the same year, he appeared in ''Ezham'' ''Suryan'' and
''I love Me'' directed by
B. Unnikrishnan
Unnikrishnan B (born 14 August 1970) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, distributor and exhibitor who works in the Malayalam film industry.
Early life
Unnikrishnan. B. was born on 14 August 1970 in Pathanamthitta district in Kerala, I ...
. His action sequences where well acclaimed by the audience.
In 2013 he appeared in
''Ithu'' ''Pathiramanal'' and ''
Orissa
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of S ...
,'' both directed by
M. Padmakumar
M. Padmakumar is an Indian film director working in Malayalam cinema. He began his career working as an assistant director to a number of leading directors and later became an independent director through ''Ammakilikkoodu'' in 2003. His best kn ...
. Also he was seen in ''
D Company'' an anthology of three independently shot
action film
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...
s.
Breakthrough (2014–present)
![Unnimukundan at 92](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Unnimukundan_at_92.7_Big_fm_Trivandrum.jpg)
In 2014, he appeared in ''
The Last Supper
Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, Depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art have been undertaken by artistic masters for centuries, ...
'' directed by Vinil turned out to be a flop. But in the same year, he made a comeback by playing one of the titular role along with
Dulquer Salmaan
Dulquer Salmaan (born 28 July 1986) is an Indian actor, playback singer and film producer who predominantly works in Malayalam and Tamil films, in addition to Telugu and Hindi films. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in business manageme ...
in super hit movie ''
Vikramadithyan
''Vikramadithyan'' is a 2014 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-drama film co-produced and directed by Lal Jose. The film stars Unni Mukundan and Dulquer Salmaan. Nivin Pauly did a cameo appearance in the film. The screenplay is by Iqbal Kuttippu ...
'' directed by
Lal Jose
Lal Jose is an Indian director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Direc ...
. A critic from Ibtimes wrote "Unni Mukundan has made a massive comeback with this Lal Jose directorial. He nailed his character as Vikraman, a young man with well controlled emotions and realistic attitudes".
In 2015, he was seen in supporting role in the
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 cinema, Malayalam films. He has also appeared in Tamil l ...
starrer ''
Fireman
A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...
'' directed by
Deepu Karunakaran
Deepu Karunakaran is an Indian film director who works in Malayalam cinema. He debuted in direction with movie "Winter", but as the release was late due to many reasons, his first movie came in theatre was in 2008 with the Dileep (actor), Dilee ...
. Same year, he played the lead role in the movie ''
Samrajyam II: Son of Alexander'' as Jordan, the son of Alexander who was the protagonist in the prequel. He next release was ''
KL 10 Patthu
''KL 10 Patthu'' is a 2015 Malayalam romantic comedy film written and directed by debutant Muhsin Parari. Unni Mukundan and Chandini Sreedharan portrays the lead characters in the film, along with Saiju Kurup, Aju Varghese, Neeraj Madhav, Mamu ...
'' written and directed by debutant
Muhsin Parari.
In 2016, he did action thriller movie ''
Style
Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to:
* Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable
* Design, the process of creating something
* Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...
'' which turned out to be a decent commercial entertainer. He was then seen in critically acclaimed movie ''
Kaattum Mazhayum'' and fantasy romantic comedy film ''
Oru Murai Vanthu Parthaya.'' He made his Tollywood debut with the film ''
Janatha Garage
''Janatha Garage'' () is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language action drama film written and directed by Koratala Siva. The film stars Mohanlal, N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Samantha and Nithya Menen. The plot revoles around Sathyam (Mohanlal) and Anand (Jr. NT ...
'' in an antagonistic role as Raghava, son of Sathyam (
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 app ...
). The film was both commercial success and critically acclaimed. It was the
highest grossing Telugu films
Telugu cinema, popularly known as Tollywood, consisting of films in the Telugu language. It is the second largest film production centre in India. In 1977, the film '' Adavi Ramudu'' starring N. T. Rama Rao become the first film to collect one ...
of the year.
In 2017 film ''
Achayans
''Achayans'' is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language comedy crime thriller film directed by Kannan Thamarakkulam and written by Sethu. Starring Jayaram, Unni Mukundan, Prakash Raj, Amala Paul, '', he made his debut as a lyricist and singer. He played one of the lead role along with
Jayaram
Jayaram Subramaniam, (born 10 December 1965) known mononymously as Jayaram, is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Malayalam,Tamil films, along with a few Telugu films. He is also a chenda percussionist, mimicry artist, and occasional ...
and
Adil Ibrahim
Adil Ibrahim (born 6 February) is an Indian actor, radio jockey, television host and model. In 2014, he debuted in Sanjeev Sivan's Malayalam movie, ''Endless Summer''. Apart from acting, he is well known for hosting the shows '' D 4 Dance'' an ...
in the movie and it turned out to be a commercial success. In the same year, he was seen in another multi hero movie
''Avarude'' ''Raavukal'' along with
Asif Ali which received mixed reviews. In August of the same year ''
Clint
Clint is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:
Given name:
*Clint Alberta (1970–2002), Canadian filmmaker
* Clint Albright (1926–1999), Canadian ice hockey player
*Clint Alfino (born 1968), South African baseba ...
'' with director
Harikumar was released, in which he played the role of Joseph, father of
Edmund Thomas Clint
Edmund Thomas Clint (19 May 1976 — 15 April 1983) was an Indian child prodigy known for having drawn over 25,000 paintings during his life of less than seven years.
Background
Clint was the lone son of Late M.T. Joseph and Chinnamma Joseph ...
, a
child prodigy known for having drawn over 25,000 paintings during his short life of seven years. He was seen in two different looks as a 35-year old and a 73-year-old man in the film. For this film he received Ramu Kariat Movie Award for the Best Actor. His last release of 2017 was
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 cinema, Malayalam films. He has also appeared in Tamil l ...
starrer ''
Masterpiece'' in which he played the villain role and
''Tharangam'' in which he played an extended cameo.
In 2018, he did Tamil-Telugu Bilingual film ''
Bhaagamathie
''Bhaagamathie'' is a 2018 Indian thriller film written and directed by G. Ashok. The films stars Anushka Shetty in the titular role while Jayaram (in his Telugu debut), Unni Mukundan, Murali Sharma, and Asha Sarath play other pivotal roles ...
'' along with
Anuskha Shetty which turned out to be both commercial success and critically acclaimed. His next releases were two thriller movies
''Ira'' and
''Chanakyathanthram''. Both the films received positive reviews and was commercially successful.
His first release of 2019 was
Haneef Adeni
Haneef Adeni (born 30 June 1987) is an Indian film director and screenwriter, who works in Malayalam cinema. Haneef made his directorial debut in the 2017 film ''The Great Father''. His next venture as a screenwriter is ''Ameer'', starring Ma ...
's ''
Mikhael'', in which he portrayed the role of antagonist Marco Jr. He was seen last in the film
Meppadiyan which had a theatrical release on January 14, 2022. He will be also seen in a Telugu film
''Khiladi''.
Production
Unni Mukundan launched his new film production company
Unni Mukundan Films (UMF)
on 17 August 2020.
Filmography
Malayalam
Other language films
Television
Discography
Awards
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mukundan, Unni
Living people
Male actors from Kerala
Male actors in Telugu cinema
Male actors in Malayalam cinema
Indian male film actors
Male actors in Tamil cinema
1987 births
21st-century Indian male actors
South Indian International Movie Awards winners
Male actors from Thrissur