Jiiva

The youngest son of the late producer R. B. Choudary, whose banner Super Good Films has launched many careers, Jiiva was named Amar Choudary at birth, in Chennai on 4 January 1984. The Tamil actor and producer first appeared as a child actor in 1991 in his father's productions. His debut as a lead came with Aasai Aasaiyai (2003), the banner's 50th film, and Thithikudhe followed the same year. Ameer's crime thriller Raam (2005) was his real break. Playing an eccentric 17-year-old, he won the Best Actor award at the Cyprus International Film Festival, the only Tamil actor after Sivaji Ganesan to be honoured there. In 2006 he played an NSG commando opposite Mohanlal in the Malayalam film Keerthi Chakra. E, Katradhu Tamizh, Siva Manasula Sakthi, Ko, Nanban, Neethaane En Ponvasantham and Endrendrum Punnagai are among his successful films. He made his Hindi debut in 83 (2021) as the cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth. A run of box-office setbacks ended when Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil (2026) returned him to success. Ra. Venkat's Thagappan, co-starring Rajisha Vijayan and Lakshmy Ramakrishnan, is due in theatres on 24 December 2026.