Vineeth

Four years running, Vineeth won first prize at the Kerala School Kalolsavam, taking the Kalaprathibha title in 1986. He had begun Bharatanatyam at six, encouraged by his aunts Padmini and Ragini of the Travancore Sisters, and actress Shobana is his cousin. Born Vineeth Radhakrishnan on 23 August 1969 in Thalassery, he made his film debut in I. V. Sasi's Idanilangal (1985). He acts, dances, choreographs and dubs, mostly in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu films, with a few Hindi and Kannada credits. Nakhakshathangal (1986), his second film, got him widely noticed, and leads followed in Idanazhiyil Oru Kaalocha and Priyadarshan's Oru Muthassi Katha. Bharathan's Tamil film Aavarampoo (1992) changed his fortunes, and Hariharan then cast him as a musical prodigy in Sargam. Kabooliwala and Manathe Vellitheru, both 1994, showed both his romantic and darker range. In Tamil he appeared in Gentleman (1993), May Maadham and Kadhal Desam (1996), the last with music by A. R. Rahman, and he later made a comeback with the Rajinikanth film Chandramukhi. He has won three Kerala State Film Awards, for choreography in Kambhoji and for dubbing in Lucifer and Marakkar, and holds the Kalaimamani honour from Tamil Nadu. Dance remains central to his life, and he performs at festivals around the world. Bouma, his upcoming film, has him in a lead role.