Prithviraj Sukumaran (born October 16, 1982 in Trivandrum, Kerala, India) is a South Indian film actor. He made his debut in 2002 with the critically acclaimed Malayalam film Nandanam, and has since established himself in the Malayalam cinema through a variety of roles such as roles in Stop Violence, Chocolate, Vaasthavam and Classmates. He has also made strides in Tamil cinema with hits like Kana Kandaen, Parijatham and Mozhi.

Early life

Prithviraj was born in Trivandrum, Kerala, to popular Malayalam film actors Sukumaran and Mallika. His elder brother Indrajith Sukumaran and sister-in-law Poornima are also film actors. His initial schooling was at St.Mary's School Poojappura, which was near to his Chengallur home. Here he acted in various dramas and skits for the annual day celebrations. In one of the annuals, seeing his performance Sukumaran, his father had reportedly commented to his mother that he was meant for acting. Later he did his schooling from the Sainik School, (Kazhakkoottam, Thiruvananthapuram) and Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram. Prithviraj, along with his brother Indrajith, used to take part in debates and elocutions in the school.^[1] Prithviraj had also won the title of "Mr LA Fest", in 1999 at LA Fest, an annual inter school Arts Festival hosted by Loyola School, Trivandrum. He represented Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan at the competition. He remains the only person to win the personality contest "LA-Persona" twice in the history of the competition (in 1998 & 1999) which started in 1996.^[2]

He was still pursuing his Bachelor's in Information Technology at the University of Tasmania, Australia, when he was selected by Renjith to play the lead role in his directorial debut film Nandanam.^[3]

It was Fazil, a leading Malayalam film director, who introduced him to Renjith.^[4] Following a decent performance in Nandanam he was flooded with several offers from the industry so that he decided to take a break from his studies and concentrate on acting.

Career

Prithviraj began his career in Malayalam cinema in 2002. He was soon invited to act in Tamil films. He eventually became highly successful in both Malayalam and Tamil within very short span of time. Based on his enthralling performances, national Newspaper The Hindu has written that "(whether)his latest films 'Chocolate,’ ‘Satham Podathey’ and ‘Kannamoochi Yenada’ flop or succeed, Prithiviraj is one of the young stars who will still be in the reckoning."^[5]

Malayalam cinema

Prithviraj was introduced to cinema by Renjith who cast him in his directorial debut film Nandanam. ^[6] After this he was flooded with offers and was able to appear in films directed by the leading figures of Malayalam film industry such as Lohitadas, Vinayan, Kamal and Bhadran.^[7] He was noted for his performances in Stop Violence and Swapnakoodu, films that did well at the box-office. Shyamaprasad, who cast him in lead role in his much acclaimed film Akale, comments that Prithviraj's advantages are his talent and intelligence irrespective of his box office successes.^[8] He was critically acclaimed for the portrayal of Sub Inspector Solomon Joseph in Vargam. In this film his character had to go through a wide range of emotions. In the first half of the film he was the corrupt and malicious Inspector, in the second half he falls victim to his arrogance and repents and tries to turn a new leaf.

In 2006, Lal Jose's Classmates was released and it turned out to be one of the biggest blockbusters in Malayalam cinema. The film had an ensemble cast consisting of Jayasurya, Narain, Indrajith and Kavya Madhavan. After Vargam, Prithviraj acted in another film Vaasthavam with the same director, M. Padmakumar. It was a hard hitting drama in which Prithviraj again got noticed for his intense acting. The role fetched him the Kerala State Award for Best Actor for 2006, and in the process Prithvi became the youngest actor to win the award.

In 2007, his film Chocolate directed by Shafi received glowing reviews.^[9] His performance in the film has been highly praised as contributing tremendously to the success the film. The media reports about many of his upcoming Malayalam projects such as Rithu and Lollypop, are pouring in. He is also being cast in the lead role for the film titled Punyam Aham produced and directed by Raj Nair, Thakazhi's grandson.

Thalappavu directed by Madhupal and Thirakkatha directed by Renjith are his latest releases. One of the early reviews of Thalappavu describes it as a film which is truly the coming-of-age film for Prithviraj the actor and that there is a spartan dignity that he brings into his commanding portrayal of Naxalite Joseph. ^[10] Thirakkatha has also received widespread praises from the reviewers. One of the early review describes it as a "genuine attempt that keeps the viewer engaged until the end".^[11]

Tamil cinema

In the mean time he made his Tamil debut as the villain in Kana Kandaen in 2005. His performance as the handsome and suave villain grabbed quick attention and was praised for his unconventional portrayal of the character. Soon he got an opportunity to act under the direction of Bhagyaraj in the film Parijatham.

Bhagyaraj has said in an interview that that he became keen on involving Prithviraj in his project essentially influenced by the Media acclaim the actor received in Tamil Nadu following his amazing performance in Kana Kandaen. "The entire media unanimously appreciated him in Kana Kanden. So it was with that confidence that I signed him".^[12]

His performance in Parijatham also received similar attention and appreciation in Kollywood. One of his recent Tamil flick was Mozhi in which his splendid performance was highly praised. The film ran in packed houses for several weeks/months. His newest Tamil films are Satham Podathey and Kannamoochi Yenada. The success of the films and his own intense performance in them have helped him to enhance his stardom in Tamil tinsel world. The subtle performance of Prithviraj in Kannamoochi Yenada has received special mention by many reviewers.^[13]

Vellithirai, the Tamil remake of Udayananu Tharam, a Malayalam box office success is his latest release in Tamil. Most reviews unequivocally praise Prithviraj's performance in the film. He is described as “flawless" in his role as an aspiring director. “His character demands underplaying and he exactly does he same. He is able to express the anger and agony of being cheated with aplomb. The way he reacts to the betrayal stands out”.^[14] Yet another review echoes the same feeling: “Prithviraj ... makes the best of his assets -- his expressive eyes, which glint in fury, soften with love, or brim over with frustrated tears”.^[15] He has also bagged the villain role in Mani Ratnam's forthcoming film titled Ravana which has Vikram and Aishwarya Rai in the lead roles.

Telugu cinema

Many Telugu producers and directors have been attempting to cast Prithviraj in their films. First there was news about Kalakanidhi directed by Bhushan Kalyan produced by Ravi and Mahesh Kumar under the banner of Swan Creations.^[16] Late Raghuvaran and Anjala Zhaveri were co-staring with Prithvi in this film. Originally planned to be complted in 2007, the project appears to have been delayed. The latest is the news of Police Police (a Tamil and Telugu bilingual film) directed by Manmohan, a debutante, and produced by Chandu Prithviraj, along with Srikanth (who co-starred in Kana Kandaen) is apparently cast in the role of a police officer.^[17] Prithviraj is reported to be well known in Telugu through the Telugu dubbing of the Malaylam film Ananthabadram as Sivapuram.^[18]

Awards

• 2003 Film Critics Award for Meerayude Dukham Muthuvinte Swapnam.^[19]
• 2004 Mathrubhumi - Special Jury Award for Akale.^[20]
• 2006 Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for Vaasthavam.^[21]
• 2007 Mathrubhumi - PSS Most Popular Actor Award sponsored by Federal Bank.
• 2007 Sathyan Memorial Award for Best Actor.^[22]

Filmography

Quotes

• “If you leave Bollywood out, the regional cinema that is on a creative high is Tamil. It’s going through a renaissance. There are new directors and technicians who try out innovative themes and let technology take the front seat. As a by-product, you get more interesting roles and films. Malayalam, in contrast, is going through a lean patch with no great talent making inroads. There haven’t been enough directors to make thought-provoking cinema. Hopefully, this is a passing stage.”^[23]

• "Although films have always fascinated me, my perception was that I would fare better behind them. But now I love being an actor. I have worked with some of the best directors in the business and also, with new comers. On an average, I hear close to three or four scripts a day. And I have never fixed a deadline to be the next super star. Still, I do want to be remembered in film history, somewhere down the line, with some strong performances. That is all I aspire for."^[24]

• "What I enjoy about acting is the adrenaline rush. When the director says, 'Action,' there is a huge rush of adrenaline, I don't know why. I just love the feeling of becoming somebody else."^[25]

• "I used to take part in debates and elocutions in the school but was never an actor material. If at all my destiny lay in cinema, I thought it would have been on the technical side."^[26]

• "I used to belong to that tribe of people who never knew what they wanted. Now, finally, I am doing something I like. I like the rush of adrenalin, the kick that acting gives me. I want to be an actor till I die."^[27]

References

External links

Interviews

• Nostalgia of a Thrilling Himalayan Tour' ("Himalayam Karangiya Thrillil") (May 14 2008) M S Dileep, Manorama Online)''NEW''
• 'Prithviraj Wins Hearts'(05 February 2008)Anonymous (Republished in MSN India from Filmy South)
• We Do Love this Guy ("Ee Cheruppakkaarane Ishtamaanedaa")(November 2007) Ranjith Nair for Vanitha (Manorama Online)
• Prithviraj Silences Critics with Good Performances(October 7 2007) Sangeeta in The Hindu
• Impeccable Masquerader of the Celluloid (Video Interview: Undated) In WebIndia123.com
• I Don’t Target Awards (“Ente Lakshyam Award Alla”)'' (April, 2007) Joseph Punnaveli in Malayala Manorama Sunday Edition
• The Man Behind Mozhi (March 2007) Shobha Warrier in Rediff.com
• Portrait of a Winner (February, 2007) Vijay George in The Hindu
• Prithviraj : Reveals his Experience in Film Industry (February, 2007) Unni Nair in Nowrunning.com
• Prithviraj Never Fails (September, 2006) In IndiaVilas.com
• Advantage Prithviraj (October, 2005) Vijay George in The Hindu
• Sincerity is his Forte (October, 2005) In Indiaglitz
• I Love Becoming Somebody Else' (May, 2005) Shobha Warrier in Rediff.com

Articles from the Media

• Prithvi is a success (July 29, 2008) Prathibha Joy in Times of India NEW
• Prithvi Ippol Puthiya Trackil (Prithvi in a new Track) (April 07, 2008) Staff Reporter in Malayala Manorama
• Prithvi Loves... (October 11 2007) P.M in The Hindu
• Prithviraj Constantly Proving Himself (April 19 2007) MIO Team In Musicindiaonline.com
• Prithviraj on the Fast Lane to Superstardom! (April 11 2007) P. Sreekumaran In Apunkachoice.com
• Prithviraj- Actor of Substance (February 18 2007) In Sunday Kaumudi
• Prithviraj is Hot Property (July 05, 2006)In Oneindia.in
• On the Road to Stardom (May 2004) R. K. Roshni in The Hindu
• Defying the Ban (April 30 2004) Renu Ramanath In The Hindu
• Prithviraj- Making a Rare Start (Undated) Aravind In Thatsmalayalam.com

Related Links

IMDb Profile

• Prithviraj on Internet Movie Database

Orkut Community

• Prithviraj Fans Community

Flickr Album

• Prithviraj Album

Youtube Channel

• Prithviraj Videos

Yahoo Groups

• Prithviraj Fans Group