Rajeev Govinda Pillai is an Indian actor from

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

. His acting debut was a lead role in the film '' City of God'' directed by

Lijo Jose Pellissery Lijo Jose Pellissery (born 18 September 1978) is an Indian filmmaker and actor who works in Malayalam cinema. His best works include ''Amen'' (2013), '' Angamaly Diaries'' (2017), '' Ee.Ma.Yau.'' (2018), ''Jallikattu'' (2019), '' Churuli'' (202 ...

(2011) where he played one of the protagonists. He has also worked as a dentist, a model, and as a cricketer for Kerala Strikers cricket team in the

Celebrity Cricket League The Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) is an exhibition men's cricket league in India. It consists of eight teams of film actors from different film industries of Indian cinema. The league commenced in 2011. Salman Khan is the brand ambassador ...

. Being the first Kerala born and bread model to walk the major fashion weeks in India, he is considered as the pioneer in modelling in Kerala. His success in the industry motivated many Kerala youths to take up the career. Being the Captain of Kerala Strikers Cricket team in CCL ,he top scored for the team 7 years of all the 9 years Kerala played.

Early life

Born in a small village called ‘Nannoor’ in the south of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

, he relished the upbringing of a proper village boy .His father worked in Muscat while his mother is a retried high school Sanskrit teacher. After qualifying as a dentist, he quit his job at a hospital in Kerala to pursue an acting career.

Career

In 2011, Pillai made his acting debut as the lead role in the film '' City of God'', which was directed by

. Before making the debut in movies he had a successful run in all the major fashion weeks in India and did model for a few international brands as well. After a stint in the theatre in Mumbai he decided to try his luck in movies . Pillai has played for Kerala Strikers team in the 2012 to 2024 seasons of the

. He represented Kerala in Celebrity Badminton League as well. Pillai said in a 2016 interview there are no shortcuts to 'get fit quick', and encourages enthusiasts to take up mixed martial arts (MMA). His fitness regimen involves

jiujitsu Jujutsu ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...

capoeira Capoeira () is an Afro-Brazilian martial art and game that includes elements of dance, acrobatics, capoeira music, music, and spirituality. It likely originated from enslaved Mbundu people, of the Kingdom of Ndongo, in present-day Angola. The ...

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

and

CrossFit CrossFit is a branded fitness regimen that involves constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity. The method was developed by Greg Glassman, who founded CrossFit with Lauren Jenai in 2000, with CrossFit its registered trad ...

. His workout also involves a healthy and controlled diet. In the gym, he focuses on 45 minutes to 2 hours of weight training to keep his body fat content below 10 per cent.

Awards

;

Asiavision Awards Asiavision Awards have been held annually since 2006 to honor the artistes and technicians of Indian cinema and television & is organized under the leadership of renowned journalist Nissar Syed. More than 40,000 people across United Arab Emirates ...

* 2016 – Asiavision Movie Awards – special Jury Award, '' Oru Muthassi Gadha''

Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pillai, Rajeev Govinda Male actors in Malayalam cinema Indian male film actors Male actors from Kerala Male actors from Pathanamthitta Living people 1982 births People from Pandalam 21st-century Indian male actors