Amar Choudary (born 4 January 1984), known professionally as Jiiva, is an Indian actor and film producer who works mainly in Tamil cinema and a few

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

films. He is the youngest son of film producer R. B. Choudary. He began his career as a child actor in 1991 in films produced by his father. He made his debut as a lead actor in his father's 50th production, '' Aasai Aasaiyai'' (2003). After

Sivaji Ganesan Villupuram Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy, better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001) was an Indian actor and producer. He was active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th century. Sivaji G ...

, Jiiva is the only Tamil actor to have been awarded at the Cyprus International Film Festival, particularly for his performance in '' Raam'' (2005). After this, he has acted in other movies that have been successful, such as '' E'' (2006), '' Katradhu Tamizh'' (2007), ''

Siva Manasula Sakthi ''Siva Manasula Sakthi'' () also known by the initialism ''SMS'', is a 2009 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by debutant M. Rajesh, a former assistant of director S. A. Chandrasekhar. It stars Jiiva and newcomer ...

'' (2009), '' Ko'' (2011), ''

Nanban Nanban may refer to: Japan * Nanban art, Japanese art of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries influenced by contact with the Nanban * Nanban trade or the , was a period in the history of Japan from the arrival of Europeans in 1543 to the ...

'' (2012), '' Mugamoodi'' (2012), '' Neethaane En Ponvasantham'' (2012), '' Endrendrum Punnagai'' (2013), '' Kalakalappu 2'' (2018) and ''

Kalathil Santhippom ''Kalathil Santhippom'' () is a 2021 Indian Tamil language sports action drama film written and directed by N. Rajasekar with dialogues penned by R. Ashok. The film stars Jiiva, Arulnithi, Manjima Mohan and Priya Bhavani Shankar. The film is ba ...

'' (2021). He made his Hindi cinema debut with the film '' 83'' (2021), in which he portrayed cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth.

Early life

Jiiva was born on 4 January 1984 in Chennai to Rajasthani-origin film producer R. B. Choudary and a

Tamilian The Tamil people, also known as Tamilar ( ta, தமிழர், Tamiḻar, translit-std=ISO, in the singular or ta, தமிழர்கள், Tamiḻarkaḷ, translit-std=ISO, label=none, in the plural), or simply Tamils (), are a Drav ...

mother. He is the youngest of four boys; his brothers are Suresh Choudary (co-producer in their home banner, Super Good Films), Jeevan Choudary (entrepreneur of a steel company), and Jithan Ramesh Choudary (actor and producer). R. B. Choudary is a noted independent south Indian film producer (Super Good Films) who has been a launchpad for now-famous directors and actors. Jiiva is fluent in Tamil and English, and can also speak limited Hindi.

Career

2003–2008: Debut and breakthrough

Jiiva made his debut in his father's production (

Super Good Films Super Good Films, also credited as Mega Super Good Films in Telugu cinema, is an Indian film production and distribution company in Tamil cinema. It was established in the 1980s by R. B. Choudary. History R. B. Choudary hails from a Rajast ...

), '' Aasai Aasaiyai'', directed by

Ravi Mariya S. Ravi Mariya (born August 4, 1979) is an Indian film director and actor who works primarily in Tamil cinema. He appears in villain and supporting roles. Career Ravi Mariya's directorial debut was meant to be ''Nee Naan Kaadhal'' starring Pras ...

in 2003. The film performed averagely at the box office, but critics felt that Jiiva left an impression. His second film ''

Thithikudhe ''Thithikudhe'' () is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by Brinda Sarathy. It stars Jiiva and Sridevi Vijaykumar in the lead love roles. The film's score and music were composed by Vidyasagar. This film is the Tamil re ...

'' (the Tamil remake of Uday Kiran's Telugu movie '' Manasantha Nuvve'') which also released in the same year was also produced by Super Good Films. The film opened to mixed reviews but the actor gained appreciation for his good looks and expressive emotions. It was his third movie, Ameer's crime thriller, ''Raam'' (2005) that was called a 'dream break' for his calling in the film industry. The racy screenplay and his role of an eccentric 17-year-old gained positive feedback from audience and critics. The movie was screened at the International Film Festival in Goa and later at the Cyprus International Film Festival, where he won the Best Actor award. Jiiva next starred in '' Dishyum'' (2006), opposite Sandhya of '' Kaadhal'' fame. "A feel-good movie for youngsters", reviewed various local publications. "Jeeva continues from this point and has matured as an actor. His acting is impeccable and natural; his emoting, expressions, emotions expressed by looks, body-language – all are perfect," remarked ''Galatta.'' The same year, he made his debut as an NSG Commando in Malayalam cinema with Major Ravi's film ''Keerthi Chakra'' (2006) starring Mohanlal. The movie had a great opening and was one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of the year. Jiiva also won the Best Pair Award along with Gopika at Asianet Film Awards. "Jeeva the Tamil actor has a more heroic role which he has done with felicity. The physical energy he imparts to the role has to be seen to be believed," wrote Sify. Later, the movie was dubbed and released in Tamil as ''Aran''. His last movie in 2006 was '' E'', where he portrayed the role of a slum dweller, opposite Nayanthara.The film received positive reviews and was a commercial hit. The release of '' Kattradhu Thamizh'' (2007), which turned out to be a super hit. Jiiva had two more releases after that, ''

Rameswaram Rameswaram (; also transliterated as Ramesvaram, Rameshwaram) is a municipality in the Ramanathapuram district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is on Pamban Island separated from mainland India by the Pamban channel and is about 40 ...

'' in 2007 and '' Thenavattu'' in 2008.

2009–2014: Commercial success and critical acclaim

Among his releases in the 2000s, Jiiva garnered the most appreciation for portraying various roles that were critically and commercially successful. In 2009, Jiiva experienced major commercial success with Director Rajesh's maiden venture, ''

'' (2009), opposite Anuya, still hailed as one of the best romantic comedies of all time and has since become a cult rom-com in the Tamil film industry. In 2010, he signed up with Super Good Films for a movie titled '' Kacheri Arambam'', which was described as entertaining, action-packed and comical by various news channels '
BehindwoodsIndiaglitz

'' His next film was '' Singam Puli'' (2011), where he played dual roles, following which

K. V. Anand Karimanal Venkatesan Anand (30 October 1966 30 April 2021) was an Indian cinematographer, film director and photojournalist, worked mainly in the Tamil film industry. After a short period as a journalist, he became a cinematographer in the earl ...

's political thriller '' Ko'' (2011) with Karthika Nair as the lead-role actress and Piaa Bajpai in a supporting role
''Rediff''
stated that his role as Ashwin in ''Ko'' was a "cake-walk for Jiiva: he's had a ball with the camera, clicking shots in almost impossible situations and making sure his trademark effervescence is present at all times", while

' said that "with this performance he was going to be a force to reckon with in Tamil cinema". His next films were '' Rowthiram'' (2011), directed by Gokul, and '' Vandhaan Vendraan'' (2011) by R. Kannan, released in quick succession. In fact, in Rowthiram, his agility in action sequences is very impressive." From the sets of Nanban

In 2012, he appeared in S. Shankar's comedy-drama ''Nanban'' (a remake of the Bollywood blockbuster '' 3 Idiots''). Jiiva reprised the role of Sharman Joshi in the Tamil version as Sevarkodi Senthil and starred alongside Vijay, and

Srikanth Srikanth or Sreekanth is a common Indian first name. * Srikanth (Tamil actor, born 1940), Tamil film actor active in films from 1965 * Srikanth (Tamil actor, born 1980), Tamil actor active in films after 2002 * Srikanth (Telugu actor), Telugu act ...

. At the cost of 550 million (INR), it was one of the most expensive films to be made at that point, and was released on Pongal in 622 screens worldwide. The movie received highly positive reviews and became a blockbuster. Malathi Rangarajan of ''The Hindu'' stated, "As for Jiiva, you give him characters with scope and he delivers". His next project was Mysskin's '' Mugamoodi'' (2012), the first ever Tamil superhero movie. Reports claimed that Jiiva underwent special training at Mansuria Kung Fu YMCA, Nandanam, Chennai, the same place where he had trained in Kung-Fu for a few years before venturing into movies. High-end gadgets were used in the film, designed by the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), while teams from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) created the costumes and looks of the characters. It is said that Jiiva's super hero costume, designed by Gabriella Wilkins, weighed more than 10 kg. Mugamoodi costumer molding session

The movie opened to positive reviews, and a few cited it as "different and refreshing". The movie received much attention from children. Jiiva received appreciation from critics for his role as Lee. "The titular role fits Jiiva well, very much like the armour he dons. But your heart goes out to him — performing stunts in a costume that looks unbearably heavy, with a face-mask to boot must have been quite a task," commented ''The Hindu'' review. ''

Firstpost ''Firstpost'' is an Indian online news and media website. The site is a part of the Network 18 media conglomerate owned by Reliance Industries, which also runs CNN-News18 CNN-News18 (originally CNN-IBN) is an Indian English-language ne ...

'' called Jiiva's role a "rewarding performance". "Jiiva has obviously given his best, and his martial arts sequences are worthy of applause," said ''

Rediff Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City. , it had more than 300 e ...

''. Jiiva's next venture was Gautham Vasudev Menon's '' Neethaane En Ponvasantham'' (2012), starring opposite Samantha Ruth Prabhu. The film had an average run at the box office. Critics and audiences felt that the actor brought dignity to the screen as Varun Krishnan. After this, he worked on Bejoy Nambiar's ''David'' (2013) alongside

Vikram Vikram may refer to: * Vikram (name), a male name in the Hindu community * ''Vikram'' (1986 Tamil film) * ''Vikram'' (1986 Telugu film) * ''Vikram'' (2022 Tamil film) * Vikram (actor) (born 1966), Indian actor * Vikram (spacecraft), an Indian M ...

, which garnered positive reviews, but failed at the box office. His next movie was '' Endrendrum Punnagai'', where he was paired with Trisha for the first time. The film, based on friendship, was a commercial success. In 2014, he worked in cinematographer Ravi K. Chandran's directorial debut '' Yaan''. Despite the pre-release hype, the film received negative reviews and was a box office failure.

2015–present: Challenges and comeback

Jiiva took a break for a year in 2015 and returned with three releases in 2016. He starred in his 25th film ''Pokkiri Raja'', which opened to mixed to negative reviews. His next film was the long delayed ''

Thirunaal ''Thirunaal'' () is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by P. S. Ramnath and produced by M. Senthil Kumar. The film stars Jiiva and Nayanthara in their second collaboration after '' E''. The music was composed by ...

'' in which he united with Nayantara for the second time. He was next seen in a romantic comedy, ''

Kavalai Vendam ''Kavalai Vendam'' () is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Deekay. The film stars Jiiva and Kajal Aggarwal, while Bobby Simha and Sunaina play supporting roles. The film, which is said to be an urban rom ...

'' (2016), directed by Deekay, where he was paired opposite Kajal Aggarwal. The movie had mixed reviews. "Jiiva seems like the perfect choice for the role, being effortlessly flippant, funny and intensely emotional", said Rediff.com's review. His 2017 release, '' Sangili Bungili Kadhava Thorae'', a horror comedy by debut director Ike, received a mixed reviews to positive reviews and performed well at the box office. His next movie was '' Kalakalappu 2'' (2018), directed by

Sundar C. Vinayagar Sundar Vel (born 21 January 1966), known professionally as Sundar C., is an Indian film director, actor and producer. He has directed over 34 films in Tamil and acted in 17 movies as the protagonist. His notable films include '' Ul ...

, released in February. Jiiva was seen alongside

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...

, Jai, Nikki Galrani and Catherine Tresa. A comedy entertainer, the movie received mixed reviews but performed well at the box office and was a super hit. Jiiva's next film '' Kee'', a cyber thriller, released in May 2019 was received with mixed reviews, had an average run at the box-office. Jiiva's next film ''

Gorilla Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four ...

'', directed by Don Sandy released in July 2019. This film had a chimpanzee in a key role which was the first ever instance in Indian film history. It was also revealed that the chimpanzee named Kong was hired from the Samut training station of Thailand. Most of the sequences related to the chimpanzee were shot in Thailand and the remaining portions were shot in Chennai. In 2020, he starred in the action movie ''

Seeru ''Seeru'' () is a 2020 Indian Tamil-language action film written and directed by Rathina Shiva. The film stars Jiiva, Riya Suman, Gayathri Krishnaa and Navdeep in the lead roles, with Varun and Sathish in supportive roles. D. Imman composes ...

'' followed by the romance '' Gypsy''. In 2021, he acted in Kabir Khan's film '' 83'', playing the role of

Kris Srikkanth Krishnamachari Srikkanth (born 21 December 1959), also known as Cheeka, is a former captain of the Indian cricket team and former chairman of the selection committee. He played a crucial part in India's team batting line up as opener especi ...

, and therefore being part of the main ensemble alongside Ranveer Singh.

Other work

Jiiva was a judge on STAR Vijay's reality dance competition '' Jodi Number One'' in its third season along with Sangeetha and Aishwarya Rajinikanth. He was also a judge on ''Astro's Yuttha Medai All Stars'' Grand Finals in Malaysia.

Filmography

*''All films are in Tamil, unless otherwise noted.''

As an actor

, - ! Year ! Film ! Role(s) ! Notes ! class="unsortable" , Ref , - , rowspan="2" , 2003 , '' Aasai Aasaiyai'' , , Vinod , , Debut Film , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , ''

'' , , Chinnu (Venu) , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , 2005 , '' Raam'' , , Rama Krishna , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="3" , 2006 , '' Dishyum'' , , Bhaskar , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , ''

Keerthi Chakra The Kirti Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle. It may be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel, including posthumous awards. It is the ''pe ...

'' , , Havildar Jaikumar , ,

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

film , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , '' E'' , , Easwaran (E) , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="3" , 2007 , '' Pori'' , , Hari , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , '' Kattradhu Thamizh'' , , Prabhakar , , Nominated 2nd Vijay Awards for Best Actor , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , ''

'' , , Jeevan , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , 2008 , '' Thenavattu'' , , Kottaisami , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="2" , 2009 , ''

'' , , Siva , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , '' TN 07 AL 4777'' , , Narrator , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="2" , 2010 , '' Kacheri Arambam'' , , Paari , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , '' Boss Engira Bhaskaran'' , , Shiva , , Cameo appearance , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="4" , 2011 , '' Singam Puli'' , , Ashok Kumar, Shiva , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , '' Ko'' , , Ashwin Kumar , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , '' Rowthiram'' , , Siva , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , '' Vandhaan Vendraan'' , , Arjun , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="4" , 2012 , ''

'' , , Sevarkodi Senthil , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , '' Mugamoodi'' , , Anand (Bruce Lee) , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , '' Neethaane En Ponvasantham'' , , Varun Krishnan , ,

Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor The Tamil State Film Awards for Best Actor is given by the state government as part of its annual Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Tamil (Kollywood) films. List of winners {, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" , - ! colspan="5" , Lis ...

, , style="text-align:center;" , , - , '' Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu'' , , Train Passenger , , Special appearance in song "Koti Koti" (

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode ...

film) , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="2" , 2013 , ''

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

'' , , David , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , '' Endrendrum Punnagai'' , , Goutham Sridhar , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="2" , 2014 , ''

Jilla ''Jilla'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by R. T. Neason and produced by R. B. Choudary through the company Super Good Films. Starring Mohanlal and Vijay athe film revolves around the conflict bet ...

'' , , Himself , , Special appearance in "Paatu Onnu" Song , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , '' Yaan'' , , K.Chandrasekhar , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="2" , 2015 , '' Inji Iduppazhagi'' , , rowspan="2" , Himself , , Cameo appearance , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , ''Size Zero'' , , Telugu film; cameo appearance , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="4" , 2016 , '' Pokkiri Raja'' , , Sanjeevi , , 25th Film , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , ''

'' , , Blade Ganesh , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , '' Kadavul Irukaan Kumaru'' , , Karthik Kumar , , Cameo appearance , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , ''

'' , , Aravind Baskar , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , 2017 , '' Sangili Bungili Kadhava Thorae'' , , Vasu , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="2" , 2018 , '' Kalakalappu 2'' , , Srinivas , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , '' Tamizh Padam 2'' , , Himself , , Special appearance , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="2" , 2019 , '' Kee'' , , Siddharth , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , ''

'' , Jiiva , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="2" , 2020 , ''

'' , , Manimaran , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , , '' Gypsy'' , , Gypsy , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="2" , 2021 , ''

'' , , Ashok , , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , '' 83'' , ,

, , Debut

Film , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , rowspan="4" , 2022 , ''

Coffee with Kadhal ''Coffee with Kadhal'' () is an 2022 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy family drama film written and directed by Sundar C. and produced by Khushbu, A. C. S. Arun Kumar and A. C. Shanmugam under the banner of Avni Cinemax and Benzz Media ...

'' , Saravanan , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , ''

Nitham Oru Vaanam ''Nitham Oru Vaanam'' () is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Ra. Karthik in his directorial debut. The film stars Ashok Selvan, Ritu Varma, Aparna Balamurali and Shivathmika Rajashekar. Gopi Sundar compos ...

'' , Real Prabhakaran , Cameo appearance , style="text-align:center;" , , - , ''

Varalaru Mukkiyam ''Varalaru Mukkiyam'' () is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy drama film written and directed by Santhosh Rajan in his directorial debut and produced by R. B. Choudary through the company Super Good Films. The films stars his s ...

'' , , Karthik , , , style="text-align:center;" , , - , style="background:#ffc;" , '' Golmaal'' , , , , Filming , , style="text-align:center;" ,

in Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jiiva Living people Indian male film actors Tamil male actors 1984 births 21st-century Indian male actors Male actors in Tamil cinema Male actors from Chennai