K. Surendran (born 16 March 1956), better known by his

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

Indrans, is an Indian actor and former

costume designer A costume designer is a person who designs costumes for a film, stage production or television show. The role of the costume designer is to create the characters' outfits or costumes and balance the scenes with texture and colour, etc. The costum ...

, who appears in

Malayalam film Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both the mainstream film industry ...

s. He started his film career as a costume designer and actor in 1981 and got a breakthrough in 1994 with the comedy movie '' CID Unnikrishnan B.A., B.Ed''. Indrans was popular for his comedy roles in the 1990s and 2000s. He found success in playing character roles in his later career and won the

National Film Awards The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...

- Special Mention for his performance in

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

in 2023 and won the Kerala State Film Award – Special Mention for his performance in ''

Apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is an Early Modern English, archaic English term for a medicine, medical professional who formulates and dispenses ''materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons and patients. The modern terms ''pharmacist'' and, in Brit ...

'' in 2014. In 2018, Indrans won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in '' Aalorukkam''. His performance in '' Veyilmarangal'' made him win the Best Actor Award at the 2019 Singapore International Film Festival. As of November 2021, he had starred in over 550 films.

Early life

Indrans was born on 16 March 1956. He is third among the seven children of Palavila Kochuvelu and Gomathi at Kumarapuram,

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

. He has four sisters and two brothers. Indrans faced financial problems at his house and had to join his uncle to learn tailoring. Later, he joined amateur arts clubs and began acting in dramas. He started his acting career in television serial ''Kaliveedu'' in

Doordarshan Doordarshan (), abbreviated as DD, is India's State-owned enterprise, state-owned public broadcasting, public television broadcaster. Established by the Government of India on 15 September 1959, it is owned by the Ministry of Information and B ...

. Along with his brother, K. Jayakumar, he opened a tailoring shop named Indran's Brothers Tailors in Kumarapuram, Thiruvananthapuram.

Acting career

Indrans made his debut in the 1981 film ''Choothattam'' both as a costume designer and as an actor. The producer, TMN Charley, offered him a chance to assist him in costume designing and he worked with designing costumes for several years, acting in various small roles. He got noticed for playing a small role of a marriage broker in the 1993 film '' Meleparambil Anveedu''. Indrans got his breakthrough with his role in '' CID Unnikrishnan B.A., BEd'' (1994). This led to him being cast in various comedic roles in the films of the 1990s. Indrans’ lean figure and peculiar way of delivering his dialogue and mannerisms made him a popular comedian in Malayalam cinema during these period. Some of his memorable roles came with the movies such as ''

Malappuram Haji Mahanaya Joji ''Malappuram Haji Mahanaya Joji'' (') is a 1994 Indian Malayalam-language comedy film screen play and directed by Thulasidas and dialogues by Rajan Kiriyath and Vinu Kiriyath from a story by Babu G. Nair. The film stars Madhu (actor), Madhu,Mukes ...

'', '' Manathe Kottaram'', ''Vadhu Doctoranu'', '' Aadyathe Kanmani'', '' Aniyan Bava Chetan Bava'' etc. He played the character "Uthaman" in the 1998 cult hit '' Punjabi House''. Indrans' combination with Harishree Ashokan resulted in some of the successful films. In the early 2000s he also started playing some minor character roles. Subsequently, his role of a thief in the 2004 film ''

Kathavasheshan ''Kadhavaseshan'' () is a 2004 Malayalam Mystery film, mystery drama film written and directed by T. V. Chandran, starring Dileep (actor), Dileep and Jyothirmayi in the lead roles. Veteran Cinema of West Bengal, Bengali actress Gita Dey made a s ...

'' got him noticed as a character actor. In '' Rahasya Police'' (2009), Indrans was revealed to be the villain of the movie at the end. He played another villain role in '' Pottas Bomb'' (2013). Indrans won the Kerala State Film Award – Special Mention for his performance in the 2014 film ''

''.

In 2016, Indrans got noticed for his portrayal of a serious role, in the film ''Munroe Thuruth'', directed by Manu. After this movie, he played several serious character roles. He appeared in serious avatars in '' Kaadu Pookunna Neram'' (2016) and '' God Say'' (2017). Indrans played several notable roles in films such as ''Makkana'', ''Lonam'', ''Paathi'' and '' Buddhanum Chaplinum Chirikkunnu''. In 2018, he won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in the 2017 film '' Aalorukkam''. In 2019, he was awarded

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

South Asian International Film Best actor award for his performance in '' Veyilmarangal''. ''Veyil Marangal'' also won the Outstanding Artistic Achievement at the

Shanghai International film festival The Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF, , French: ''Festival international du film de Shanghai'') is the largest film festival in Asia and China's longest-running international cinema event. The first festival was established in Octobe ...

. Indrans played the lead role in the movie'' Mohabbathin Kunjabdulla'' (2019). His brief cameo as the serial killer ''Ripper Ravi'' in the crime thriller ''

Anjaam Pathiraa ''Anjaam Pathiraa'' () (promoted as Midnight Murders outside Kerala and Internationally) is a 2020 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film written and directed by Midhun Manuel Thomas. The film stars Kunchacko Boban, Sharaf U Dheen, S ...

'' (2020) was critically acclaimed. In 2021, he played the lead role of ''Oliver Twist'' in ''

''. The movie was well acclaimed by the critics and audience especially praising Indrans' performance.

Personal life

Indrans married Santhakumari on 23 February 1985. They have a daughter Mahitha and a son Mahendran. Indrans' autobiography, titled ''Indradhanussu'', was serialised in '' Mathrubhumi Illustrated Weekly'' and published as a book in 2024 by Mathrubhumi Books. The work earned him the Cherukad Award for the year 2024."കണ്ണീർക്കണങ്ങളിൽ മഴവില്ല് വിരിയിയ്ക്കുന്ന ഇന്ദ്രജാലം ; ചെറുകാട് പുരസ്‌കാരം  ഇന്ദ്രൻസിന്റെ ഇന്ദ്രധനുസിന്‌"
'' Deshabhimani'' (in

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

). 11 October 2024. Retrieved 7 November 2024.

Awards

* 2014 - Kerala State Film Award – Special Mention for the film ''

'' * 2016 - CPC Cine Awards – Special Honorary Award * 2018 - Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for the film '' Aalorukkam'' * 2019 - Singapore South Asian International Film Festival Best actor award for Veyilmarangal * 2019 -

Shanghai International Film Festival The Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF, , French: ''Festival international du film de Shanghai'') is the largest film festival in Asia and China's longest-running international cinema event. The first festival was established in Octobe ...

Award for Best Film * N.N. Pillai Smaraka Puraskaram ''(N.N. Pillai Memorial Award)'' * 2023 -

- Special Mention for the film ''

'' * 2023 - 68th Filmfare Awards South - Best Supporting Actor – Malayalam for the film '' Udal'' * 2024 - Cherukad Award - ''Indradhanussu'' (Autobiography)

Filmography

Actor

Malayalam

= 1980s

= 1990s

= 2000s

= 2010s

= 2020s

Tamil

*'' Aadum Koothu'' (2005) *'' Nanban'' (2012) as Govindan *'' Suriya 45''

Costume designer

*'' Aniyatha Valakal'' (1980) *'' Choothaattam'' (1981) *''

Oru Madapravinte Katha ''Oru Madapravinte Katha'' () is a 1983 Indian Malayalam-language film written and directed by Alleppey Ashraf (in his directorial debut). It stars Prem Nazir, Mammootty, Sankaradi and Shubha. The film has musical score by G. Devarajan. Cast ...

'' (1983) *'' Vanitha Police'' (1984) *'' Sammelanam'' (1985) *'' Principal Olivil'' (1985) * '' Namukku Parkkan Munthiri Thoppukal'' (1986) * '' Thoovanathumbikal'' (1987) * '' Sarvakalasala'' (1987) * Moonam Pakkam (1988) *'' Aazhikkoru Muthu'' (1989) * ''

Season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...

'' (1989) * '' Innale'' (1989) * ''Rajavazhcha'' (1990) * '' Cheriya Lokavum Valiya Manushyarum'' (1990) * ''Maala Yogam'' (1990) * '' Njan Gandharvan'' (1991) * ''Kaazhchakkppuram'' (1992) * ''Ayalathe Addeham'' (1992) * ''Kavadiyattam '' (1993) * ''Bhagyavan'' (1993) * '' Sphadikam'' (1995) * ''Kalyana Uniikal'' (1997)

Singer

*'' Kadhanayakan'' (1997)

Television serials

#Kadalinakare ( Asianet) #Hukka Hua Mikkado (Asianet) #Ellaam Mayajaalam (Asianet) #Devimahatmyam ( Asianet) #Pattukalude paattu (

Surya TV Surya TV is an Indian Malayalam language Indian general entertainment pay television channel owned by Sun TV Network. which is headquartered at Kochi. Surya TV HD became the third Malayalam language high-definition channel. Current broadcas ...

) #Sabarimala sridharmashashtha ( Asianet) #Nirupama Fans (

Flowers TV Flowers TV is an Indian Malayalam-language, general-entertainment, pay television channel owned by Insight Media City. The channel was launched on 12 April 2015. Flowers TV HD feed is only available through their YouTube channel. History ...

) #Satyam shivam sundaram (Amrita TV) #Kaliveedu (

) #Kunjammayum Koottukarum (

) #smarakasilakal(

)

References

External links

*
Indrans at MSI
{{authority control Male actors from Thiruvananthapuram Indian male comedians Costume designers of Malayalam cinema 1956 births Living people Male actors in Malayalam cinema Indian male film actors Kerala State Film Award winners Indian fashion designers 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian male actors Indian male playback singers Malayalam playback singers 20th-century Indian designers Indian male television actors Male actors in Malayalam television Kerala Film Critics Awards winners