Suraj Venjaramoodu

More than 250 films carry the name of Suraj Venjaramoodu, the Malayalam actor, comedian, impressionist and television presenter whose career has also taken in television, stage work and Tamil cinema. He was born Suraj Vasudevan in 1976 in Thiruvananthapuram district, and his screen name comes from Venjaramoodu, where he went to primary school. Mimicry came first. A diploma in mechanical trade from Government ITI, Attingal was followed by stage shows, and the Kairali TV comedy programme Jagapoka made him widely known. He entered films in 2001, with the spoof Jagapoga as his first picture. Rajamanikyam (2005) opened doors; on that film he coached Mammootty in the Thiruvananthapuram accent. Thuruppugulan (2006) and Mayavi (2007) made him a regular comic face, and Duplicate (2009) gave him his first lead. That same year he played Dasamoolam Damu in Chattambinaadu, a comic role that later picked up a cult following. The Kerala State Film Awards named him Best Comedian in 2009, 2010 and 2013, the first time for Ivar Vivahitharayal. Then came the shift to character and lead parts, and with it the National Film Award for Best Actor for Perariyathavar and the 2019 Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for Android Kunjappan Version 5.25 and Vikruthi. Pulimurugan (2016) and The Great Indian Kitchen (2021) sit among his later credits. In Rajinikanth's Tamil film Jailer 2 (2026) he played Dileep, and he called the applause the star gave him on set a lifetime moment.