Vijayaraghavan is an Indian actor who predominantly works in the Malayalam film industry, also known as Mollywood. He is known for his work as a supporting actor in films like ‘Venicile Vyapari’ (2011), ‘Ramaleela’ (2017), ‘Punyalan Private Limited’ (2017), and ‘Kammara Sambhavam’ (2018).
Wiki/Biography
Narayanapillai Vijayaraghavan was born on Thursday, 20 December 1951 (age 71 years; as of 2022) in Kuala Lumpur, Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia). His zodiac sign is Sagittarius. He studied at Government Higher Secondary School Kudamaloor in Kerala.
Vijayaraghavan’s childhood picture
Physical Appearance
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Vijayaraghavan’s father, N. N. Pillai, was an Indian playwright, actor, theatre director, orator, screenplay writer, and lyricist. He served as a Commanding Officer of the Field Propaganda Unit under Subhas Chandra Bose in the Indian National Army. Vijayaraghavan’s mother, Chinnamma (also known as Kalyanikutti Amma), was a homemaker. She often worked as an artist in some of Pillai’s theatrical productions. Vijayaraghavan has two sisters, Sulochana Pillai, and Renuka Pillai.
Vijayaraghavan’s (extreme right) childhood picture with his family
Wife & Children
Vijayaraghavan is married to Anitha Vijayaraghavan (also called Suma). The couple has two sons, Jinadevan, and Devadevan; Jinadevan is a businessman, while Devadevan works in the South Indian film industry.
Vijayaraghavan with his family
Career
Film
Malayalam
Vijayaraghavan debuted in the Malayalam film industry with the film ‘Kaapalika’ in 1973 which was based on his father’s play of the same name; he played the role of ‘Babu’ in the film.
A poster of the film ‘Kaapalika’ (1973)
In 1983, Vijayaraghavan appeared in the lead role of ‘Abu’ in the film ‘Surumaitta Kannukal.’ Vijayaraghavan’s career in Malayalam cinema truly ignited after his appearance in the 1987 neo-noir action thriller film ‘New Delhi’ as Ananthan. His journey to stardom gained further momentum with his remarkable portrayal of the villain ‘Ramji Rao’ in the 1989 film Ramji Rao Speaking. This performance served as a significant turning point, cementing Vijayaraghavan’s status as a much-in-demand actor in the industry. The remake of the film was made by different production houses in many languages including ‘Hera Pheri’ (2000) in Hindi, ‘Dhanalakshmi, I Love You’ (2002) in Telugu, and ‘Trin Trin’ (2004) in Kannada.
Vijayaraghavan as Ramji Rao in a still from the film ‘Ramji Rao Speaking’ (1989)
He went on to appear in many films such as ‘Crime Branch’ (1990) (as Babu), ‘Onnaam Muhurtham’ (1991) (as William Patrick Parera), ‘Commissioner’ (1994) (as Mohammad Iqbal), ‘C.I.D. Moosa’ (2003) (as D. I. G. Sathyanarayanan), ‘Mangalyam Thanthunanena’ (2018) (as Avarachan), and ‘Sayanna Varthakal’ (2022) (as Varghese). In 2023, Vijayaraghavan played the role of a 100-year-old man named Ittoop in the film ‘Pookkaalam.’ In the same year, he appeared in a comedy film titled ‘Neymar.’
Vijayaraghavan as ‘Ittoop’ in a still from the film ‘Pookkaalam’ (2023)
Tamil
Vijayaraghavan made his debut in the Tamil film industry, also known as Kollywood, with the 1990 screwball comedy film ‘Arangetra Velai’ in which he appeared as ‘Pakki Ram.’ In 2017, he played the role of ‘Vaishali’s father’ in the action film ‘Bairavaa.’
Vijayaraghavan in a still from the film ‘Bairavaa’ (2017)
Television
Malayalam
Vijayaraghavan appeared in some daily soap operas as well including Kairali TV’s ‘Crime Branch’ and Surya TV’s ‘Kavyanjali’ and ‘Snehatheeram.’
Awards
- 2015: Asianet Film Award for Honour Special Jury
- 2019: Asianet Film Award for Best Character Actor for the film ‘Porinju Mariam Jose’
- 2022: Film award of Valikunnam Nattupacha Kala Cultural Forum
29 December 2022: Vijayaraghavan receiving the film award of Valikunnam Nattupacha Kala Cultural Forum from K. M. Dharmaman
Car Collection
Vijayaraghavan possesses a diverse collection of automobiles from different brands including Audi and Toyota; he owns Toyota’s Fortuner and Innova. In an interview, Vijayaraghavan talked about his love for cars and shared that among his collection, he considers the Toyota Fortuner to be the epitome of comfort.
Facts/Trivia
- According to Vijayaraghavan, he likes challenging roles; however, romantic scenes and dance sequences don’t sit well with him. In an interview, he recalled his initial years of acting career when filmmakers often leaned on clichéd and inexperienced depictions of romance and said that he found these segments awkward to perform as they didn’t align with his interpretation of romance.
- Apart from appearing in films and daily soap operas, Vijayaraghavan has performed in some theatrical productions as well.
- Vijayaraghavan, in an interview, shared insights into his approach towards drawing inspiration from fellow actors. He said that while he draws inspiration from them, he never blindly emulates their style, fearing it might lead to mere imitation. He added that during his theatre days, he used to mimic actors such as Dharmendra, Dev Anand, and Kamal Haasan, something that his father strongly discouraged. Vijayaraghavan further expressed deep admiration for the contributions of Amitabh Bachchan, Naseeruddin Shah, Mammootty, Om Puri, and Nedumudi Venu to the field of acting.
- In an interview, he revealed that dubbing typically presents a challenge for him. He mentioned that the strain exerted during this process often leads to discomfort in his throat.
- In 2017, social media was abuzz with a false rumour of Vijayaraghavan’s death. An image of an ambulance with Vijayaraghavan’s photograph was widely shared across various social media platforms; however, Vijayaraghavan quickly dispelled the rumours, clarifying that the circulated image was merely a still from his film project Ramaleela. He urged his followers and fans to disregard the misleading information. In response to the incident, Vijayaraghavan lodged a complaint with the Kerala Police Chief, T. P. Senkumar, who subsequently assured that appropriate measures would be taken against those responsible for propagating the false death news about the actor.
This picture, which was actually taken from a shooting, was circulated along with the news that Vijayaraghavan died
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
