Vinay Kumar, professionally credited as Vinay Forrt is an Indian film and stage actor. He hails from
Fort Kochi
Fort Kochi, Fort Cochin in English, Cochim de Baixo ("Lower Kochi") in Cochin Portuguese creole, is a neighbourhood of Cochin (Kochi) city in Kerala, India. Fort Kochi takes its name from the Fort Manuel of Cochin, the first European fort ...
,
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 ...
and is a theatre activist with more than a decade's worth of experience in the theatrical field as well as a postgraduate in acting from
Film and Television Institute of India
The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) is a film institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India and aided by the Central Government of India. It is situated on the premises of the erstwhile ...
,
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
,
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 most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. He made his cinematic debut in the
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 was des ...
film ''
Ritu'' (2009).
Early life and education
Vinay Forrt was born in
Fort Kochi
Fort Kochi, Fort Cochin in English, Cochim de Baixo ("Lower Kochi") in Cochin Portuguese creole, is a neighbourhood of Cochin (Kochi) city in Kerala, India. Fort Kochi takes its name from the Fort Manuel of Cochin, the first European fort ...
,
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 ...
, to M. V. Mani and Sujatha. His real name is Vinay Kumar, and he changed his name as a tribute to his birthplace. He has a sister, Suma, and a brother, Syam. He was educated at
St John De Britto Anglo-Indian High School, Fort Kochi and
Aquinas College Edacochin .
Before entering the movie industry, he worked at a restaurant, a coffee shop, medical shop and a call center. During his first year while studying for his degree , he joined Lokadharmi Theater and became active in their plays. Later, he dropped degree to join the
Film and Television Institute of India
The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) is a film institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India and aided by the Central Government of India. It is situated on the premises of the erstwhile ...
in Pune, India, and became a postgraduate in acting. He has been an ardent follower of Indian Theater for nearly a decade, as an actor and an activist. Vinay received the ''National Scholarship'' from the Government of India for the ''Best Senior Theatre Actor'' (2004 - 2006). He is a contemporary dancer as well.
Acting career
While pursuing his post-graduation at
FTII,
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
, he was informed by an FTII aspirant, Dheeraj Nandakumar about the ongoing Audition for Shyamaprasads movie (Ritu) while he contacted Vinay for help regarding selection for the acting course at FTII . This turned out to be the turning point for Vinay as he finally got chosen by
Shyamaprasad
Shyamaprasad (born 7 November 1960) is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter and actor from Kerala.
Career
Shyamaprasad was born on 7 November 1960 at Palakkad, as the younger son of O. Rajagopal and Santhakumari. He was named after Shyama Prasad ...
to play a role in his film ''
Ritu'' (2009). Vinay Fort debuted in
Shyamaprasad
Shyamaprasad (born 7 November 1960) is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter and actor from Kerala.
Career
Shyamaprasad was born on 7 November 1960 at Palakkad, as the younger son of O. Rajagopal and Santhakumari. He was named after Shyama Prasad ...
's ''
Ritu'' (2009) in a small role as a
gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
, but one which earned him recognition
He costarred in ''
The Blueberry Hunt
''The Blueberry Hunt'' is an Indian-Canadian thriller film directed by Anup Kurian and starring Naseeruddin Shah, Vipin Sharma, Aahana Kumra, PJ Unnikrishnan, Yadu Sankalia, Vinay Forrt, and Kartik Elangovan. The film had a nationwide theatrical ...
'' (2011), an English film by Anup Kurian with
Naseeruddin Shah
Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He is notable in Indian parallel cinema. He has also starred in international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfare A ...
in the lead. He played a notabe role in
Navagatharkku Swagatham (2012). But the film was a failure at box office. Vinay went on to play minor roles in several movies. He was noted for his role as ''Nanmayil Suran'' in
Shutter (2012). The film was a critical and commercial success and was screened at various International film festivals. Vinay played a notable supporting role in the 2014 thriller
7th Day.
Vinay finally got his breakthrough by portraying ''Vimal Sir'' in
Alphonse Putharen
Alphonse Puthren is an Indian film director, producer, actor, editor, writer, and ad film maker. He works mainly in the Malayalam Cinema. He made his directional debut with the critically acclaimed Malayalam - Tamil bilingual suspense-thrill ...
's ''
Premam
''Premam'' (transl. Love) is a 2015 Indian Malayalam-language coming of age romance film written and directed by Alphonse Puthren. Produced by Anwar Rasheed, it features Nivin Pauly and Sai Pallavi in the prominent roles. The plot follows Geor ...
''. This role with a comic shade earned him wide recognition and some of his dialogues from the movie eventually developed a
cult
In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...
following. He played a lead role in the 2015 comedy thriller
Urumbukal Urangarilla which received positive and mixed reviews. Vinay went on to play some notable roles in movies such as
Kohinoor (2015)
Kammatti Paadam
''Kammatipaadam'', alternatively spelled as ''Kammatti Paadam'', is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film directed by Rajeev Ravi and written by P. Balachandran. The film stars Dulquer Salmaan, Vinayakan, Shaun Romy, Manikandan ...
,
Kismath (2016) and
God Say (2017). He played a lead role in
Hello Namasthe
Hello Namasthe is a 2016 Indian Malayalam comedy film directed by Jayan K. Nair and produced by Freedia Entertainment. Narrating the story of two modern-day couples as they find themselves at crossroads over a jackfruit tree that stands between ...
(2016). But it was a failure at box office. He had a major supportive role in
Georgettans Pooram and
Role Models, both released in 2017.
Vinay did the lead role in
Thamasha (2019). He portrayed Srinivasan, a Malayalam professor with a balding pate, who is unable to find a suitable woman to marry. Some critics reviewed it as one of the best performance by him. Vinay played a lead role in the
satire
Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...
Paapam Cheyyathavar Kalleriyatte
Paapam Cheyyathavar Kalleriyatte () is a 2020 Indian Malayalam-language satirical film written and directed by Shambhu Purushothaman, produced by Sanju S. Unnithan. The film features an ensemble cast of Vinay Forrt, Tini Tom, Srinda Arhaan, ...
(2020). The movie generally received positive reviews from critics. His comic role as Kripesh/Akash Menon in
Mohan Kumar Fans (2021) was well appreciated. Vinay's performance as ''David Chistudas'', a friend-turned-foe of the protagonist in
Mahesh Narayanan
Mahesh Narayanan (born 2 May 1982) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, editor and cinematographer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, he has also worked in Tamil cinema, Tamil and Bollywood, Hindi films. He is a recipient of the ...
's
Malik
Malik, Mallik, Melik, Malka, Malek, Maleek, Malick, Mallick, or Melekh ( phn, 𐤌𐤋𐤊; ar, ملك; he, מֶלֶךְ) is the Semitic term translating to "king", recorded in East Semitic and Arabic, and as mlk in Northwest Semitic duri ...
(2021) received wide appreciation from critics. This role is considered by many as one of his career best performance.
Personal life
He married his longtime girlfriend Soumya Ravi, a research student, on 6 December 2014 at
Guruvayoor
Guruvayur () is a municipal temple town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It is a suburban town of Thrissur city, located from Thrissur towards the north-west. It houses the Guruvayur Shri Krishna Temple. It is located at ...
.
The couple have a son.
Filmography
Films
Television
Awards
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forrt, Vinay
Indian male film actors
Male actors from Kochi
Living people
Male actors in Malayalam cinema
21st-century Indian male actors
Male actors in Malayalam television
Year of birth missing (living people)