Yogi Babu (born 22 July 1985) is an Indian actor and comedian, who appears in
Tamil films
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 ...
. A three time
Ananda Vikatan Cinema Award winner, he performed in ''
Aandavan Kattalai'' (2016), ''
Kolamavu Kokila
''Kolamaavu Kokila'' () (abbrev. COCO) is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language black-comedy crime film written and directed by Nelson in his directorial debut, and produced by Lyca Productions. The film stars Nayanthara alongside a supporting cast ...
'' (2018) and ''
Pariyerum Perumal
''Pariyerum Perumal'' () is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language drama film, directed by Mari Selvaraj in his directorial debut and produced by Pa. Ranjith under his production banner Neelam Productions. The film stars Kathir and Anandhi in the leadin ...
'' (2018).
Early and personal life
Babu's father was a
havildar
Havildar or havaldar ( Hindustani: or (Devanagari), (Perso-Arabic)) is a rank in the Indian, Pakistani and Nepalese armies, equivalent to sergeant. It is not used in cavalry units, where the equivalent is daffadar.
Like a British sergeant, ...
in the
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
, so Babu had to travel alongside a lot as a child, as a result of which he studied in
Jammu
Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi Ri ...
in the early 1990s.
Babu married Manju Bhargavi on 5 February 2020 in an intimate ceremony held at their ancestral temple in
Tiruttani
Tiruttani is a town in Tiruvallur district, suburb of Chennai within Chennai Metropolitan Area limit in state of Tamil Nadu, India. This town is famous for Tiruttani Murugan Temple which is one of the Arupadaiveedu and is dedicated to (Kartik ...
.
Career
Babu worked as an assistant director in the ''
Lollu Sabha
Lollu Sabha is a 2003-2008 Indian Tamil-language comedy series written by Rambhala and starring Lollu Sabha Manohar, Swaminathan, Jeeva, Balaji, Santhanam
and Jangiri Madhumitha. It was broadcast on STAR Vijay with 156 episodes. Each episode ...
'', and helping write scenes for two years. He made his feature film debut in the
Ameer-starring ''
Yogi
A yogi is a practitioner of Yoga, including a sannyasin or practitioner of meditation in Indian religions.A. K. Banerjea (2014), ''Philosophy of Gorakhnath with Goraksha-Vacana-Sangraha'', Motilal Banarsidass, , pp. xxiii, 297-299, 331 Th ...
'' (2009) as an aspiring actor and subsequently adapted the name of the film as a prefix for his stage name. He appeared as a goon in ''
Paiyaa
''Paiyaa'' () is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language action-adventure film written, produced and directed by N. Linguswamy. It stars Karthi and Tamannaah, with Sonia Deepti, Milind Soman and Jagan appearing in supporting roles. The film, produced by ...
''. He later appeared in an uncredited role as a pimp in
Sundar C.'s ''
Kalakalappu
''Kalakalappu'' () () is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by Sundar C. and produced by his wife Khushbu. It stars Vimal, Shiva, Anjali, Oviya and Santhanam, with music composed by Vijay Ebenezer. It was originally ...
'' (2012). In 2013, he appeared in his first extended comedy role with ''
Pattathu Yaanai
''Pattathu Yaanai'' () is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Boopathy Pandian and produced by Michael Rayappan.
The film stars Vishal and Aishwarya Arjun with Santhanam playing a supporting role. Music wa ...
'' (2013), while he also featured in the Hindi film, ''
Chennai Express
''Chennai Express'' () is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by Rohit Shetty and produced by Ronnie Screwvala, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Gauri Khan and Karim Morani, based on a story by K. Subash, with a screenplay written by ...
'' alongside
Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" ...
.
He then performed as a comedy rival to
Sivakarthikeyan
Sivakarthikeyan (born 17 February 1985), also referred to as SK, is an Indian actor, singer, film producer, lyricist, and television presenter, who works predominantly in Tamil films. He has also won a Tamil Nadu State Film Award, four Edison A ...
in ''
Maan Karate
''Maan Karate'' () is a 2014 Tamil-language sports comedy film written and directed by Krish Thirukumaran. The film was written and co-produced by AR Murugadoss and produced by P. Madhan under banner of Escape Artists Motion Pictures. It s ...
'' (2014) and as eerie comedian in ''
Yaamirukka Bayamey
''Yaamirukka Bayamey'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language horror comedy film written and directed by debutant Deekay and produced by Elred Kumar. The cast includes Kreshna, Oviya, Rupa Manjari, Karunakaran, and Anaswara Kumar. 15 technicians ...
'' (2014). In 2015, he appeared in over a dozen films and won positive reviews for his work in ''
Kaaka Muttai
''Kaaka Muttai'' (released internationally as ''The Crow's Egg'') is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film written, directed and filmed by M. Manikandan, in his directorial debut. Jointly produced by Dhanush's Wunderbar Films, Vetrimaa ...
'' (2015) and ''
Kirumi
''Kirumi'' () is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language thriller film written, directed and edited by Anucharan in his debut feature. The film co-written by M. Manikandan and produced by JPR Films, stars Kathir and Reshmi Menon. The film, featuring mu ...
'' (2015). Yogi Babu had a breakthrough year in 2016, featuring in 20 films, and winning critical acclaim for his role alongside
Vijay Sethupathi
Vijaya Gurunatha Sethupathi (born 16 January 1978), known professionally as Vijay Sethupathi, is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Tamil films. He is a recipient of several accolades including a National Film Award.
Fo ...
in ''
Aandavan Kattalai'' (2016). This was followed by his role in ''
Kolamavu Kokila
''Kolamaavu Kokila'' () (abbrev. COCO) is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language black-comedy crime film written and directed by Nelson in his directorial debut, and produced by Lyca Productions. The film stars Nayanthara alongside a supporting cast ...
'' (2018) where his one-sided lover portrayal opposite
Nayanthara
Diana Mariam Kurian, known professionally as
Nayanthara, is an Indian actress and film producer who is known for her work in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. She was in the ''Forbes India'' "Celebrity 100" 2018 list, with her total annual ...
was critically acclaimed while the Kalyana Vayasu song and his antics in it went viral. He appears as supporting character in film ''
Pariyerum Perumal
''Pariyerum Perumal'' () is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language drama film, directed by Mari Selvaraj in his directorial debut and produced by Pa. Ranjith under his production banner Neelam Productions. The film stars Kathir and Anandhi in the leadin ...
'' (2018), the film released to positive reviews from critics, with critics praising the comedy and performance of Yogi Babu. He acted for the first time as lead role in ''
Dharmaprabhu
''Dharma Prabhu'' is a 2019 Indian Tamil language political fantasy comedy film written and directed by Muthukumaran. Yogi Babu plays the lead role in the film, and supporting roles are done by Radha Ravi, Sam Jones, Ramesh Thilak, Rekha and R ...
'' (2019) which he play of role of
Yamantaka
Yamāntaka ( sa, यमान्तक Yamāntaka) or Vajrabhairava (; ; ko, 대위덕명왕 ''Daewideok-myeongwang''; ja, 大威徳明王 ''Daiitoku-myōō''; mn, Эрлэгийн Жаргагчи ''Erlig-jin Jarghagchi'') is the "destroyer of ...
. He played a key role in ''
Gurkha
The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India.
The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Gorkhas and are recruit ...
'' (2019). Babu is a security guard in this hostage drama written and directed by
Sam Anton
Sam Anton (born 30 December 1985) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who predominantly works in Tamil films. He debuted with a horror comedy movie titled ''Darling (2015 Tamil film), Darling'' in 2015 featuring composer G. V. Prakash K ...
. He has acted with the Superstar
Rajinikanth
Shivaji Rao Gaikwad (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor, producer and screenwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 160 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannad ...
in ''
Darbar'' (2020).
In ''
Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...
'' (2021), Yogi Babu played a lead role for the second time in his career.
Filmography
Films
Upcoming projects
Television
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Babu, Yogi
Living people
Tamil male actors
Male actors in Tamil cinema
21st-century Indian male actors
Tamil comedians
Indian male comedians
1985 births