Rangaraj Subbiah (born 3 October 1954), known professionally as Sathyaraj, is an Indian actor, film producer, film director and a media personality who appears predominantly in Tamil films. He also appears in works in Telugu,

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

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 ...

and

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

. He has acted in more than 250 films. He is a recipient of three Filmfare Award South and three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. He started his career in antagonistic roles and later played lead roles. He met with success through lead performances in '' Vedham Pudhithu'' (1987), '' Nadigan'' (1990), (1994), '' Periyar'' (2007) and '' Onbadhu Roobai Nottu'' (2007). He also received acclaim for supporting roles in '' Nanban'' (2012), '' Raja Rani'' (2013), '' Baahubali'' (2015), '' Baahubali 2'' (2017) and '' Kanaa'' (2018). He was also the director of the film '' Villadhi Villain'' (1995), starring himself in three different roles. In 2011, he had a brief career as a television host for the game show ''Home Sweet Home'' on STAR Vijay. He has also served as a

brand ambassador A brand ambassador (sometimes also called a corporate ambassador) is a person paid by an organization or company to represent its brand in a positive light, helping to increase brand awareness and sales. The brand ambassador is meant to embody the ...

for Pothys, Susi Emu farms, and Kumaran jewellery Shop.

Early life

Sathyaraj was born as Rangaraj on 3 October 1954 to Subbiah, a doctor, and Nathambal, with two younger sisters, namely Kalpana and Roopa Senapathy. He is an ardent fan of M. G. Ramachandran and Hindi actor Rajesh Khanna. He belongs to the Kongu Vellalar Gounder community. Sathyaraj completed his primary school education in St Mary's Convent school,

Coimbatore Coimbatore (Tamil: kōyamputtūr, ), also known as Kovai (), is one of the major Metropolitan cities of India, metropolitan cities in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyy ...

and later studied for tenth standard from Suburban High School, Ramnagar, Coimbatore. He went to Government Arts College, Coimbatore, for a Bachelor of Science degree in

botany Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

. Sathyaraj's dream was to become an actor, but his mother was against it and forbid him to join cinema. In 1976, in spite of his mother's opposition, he left Coimbatore to enter the Tamil film industry based in Kodambakkam, Chennai. Sathyaraj entered the film industry after witnessing the shooting of the film '' Annakili'', where he met actor

Sivakumar Palaniswamy Gounder (born 27 October 1941), better known by his stage name Sivakumar, is an Indian visual artist and former actor who has appeared in Tamil cinema and television. He made his acting debut in '' Kaakum Karangal'' (1965) and has ...

and producer Thiruppur Manian and started pestering them to help him fulfill his cinematic ambitions. Sivakumar vehemently criticized his interest in acting and advised him to immediately return home. Nevertheless, he remained in Chennai. Producer Maathampatty Sivakumar supported him with sending money every month. He joined the drama troupe of Komal Swamynathan. Sathyaraj's first film in a credited role as an actor was '' Sattam En Kaiyil'', in 1978, where he played a henchman to the main villain played by Thengai Srinivasan in the film. Later, he worked as production manager for the film '' Kannan Oru Kaikkuzhanthai''. In addition to his managerial role, he also had a small acting part in the film. His first film as the leading hero in Tamil was '' Saavi'' in 1985, which was a box office success. He acted in about 75 films from 1978 to 1985, most of which featured Sathyaraj in antagonist roles.

Career

1978–1985: Early career

In his early career (between 1978 and 1982), Sathyaraj often played antagonistic roles, typically as a henchman to main villains like M. N. Nambiar. His roles were minor, with leading actors such as

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

, Jaishankar,

Kamal Haasan Parthasarathy Srinivasan (born 7 November 1954), known professionally as Kamal Haasan, is an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Considered as one of the most accomplished actors of Indian Cinema, Haas ...

, Rajinikanth, and Vijayakanth dominating the screen. Sathyaraj's breakthrough came when his college friend, Manivannan, directed him in the Tamil film '' Nooravathu Naal'' (1984), where he had a supporting role. Manivannan went on to cast Sathyaraj in two other films that same year --'' 24 Mani Neram'' and ''

January 1 January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in the Gregorian Calendar; 364 days remain until the end of the year (365 in leap years). This day is also known as New Year's Day since the day marks the beginning of the year. __TOC__ Events ...

''—where he was the main villain. His performances were widely noticed, earning him recognition among Tamil audiences. He further solidified his reputation in '' Kakki Sattai'' (1985), where he was again the principal antagonist. 1985 also marked a turning point in Sathyaraj's career. His first lead role came with '' Saavi'' (1985), a Tamil-language crime thriller written and directed by Karthik Raghunath. ''Saavi'' was significant as it marked Sathyaraj's debut as a protagonist, albeit in a character with negative shades.

1986–1989: Lead roles

In '' Rasigan Oru Rasigai'' (1986), directed by Balu Anand, Sathyaraj made his debut as a hero with Ambika as his heroine. Next, in '' Kadalora Kavithaigal'' (1986), as Chinnappa Das, he played the lead romantic role and ''Behindwoods'' said: "Sathyaraj broke his image of an action hero and came up with a rollicking performance. He is the real star of the film." He received appreciation for playing his role in '' Mr. Bharath'' (1986), which revolved around the conflict between father, played by Sathyaraj and son ( Rajinikanth). Sathyaraj acted as Rajinikanth's father in the film, though he was in fact 4 years younger than Rajinikanth. Manivannan, being friends with Sathyaraj, kept casting him in roles in his directorial ventures, regularly showcasing different emotions from Sathyaraj in films such as '' Muthal Vasantham'', '' Palaivana Rojakkal'' and '' Vidinja Kalyanam''. After ''Kadalora Kavithaigal'', Sathyaraj had box office hits as the lead hero between 1986 and 1988 such as '' ''Manthira Punnagai'''', '' Kadamai Kanniyam Kattupaadu'', '' Poovizhi Vasalile'', '' Makkal En Pakkam'' (in which he had dual roles), '' Annanagar Mudhal Theru'', '' En Bommukutty Ammavukku'' and '' Chinnappadass''. Manivanan from 1987 onward started casting Sathyaraj in positive roles and their combination had box office hits like '' Chinna Thambi Periya Thambi'', '' Jallikattu'', '' Ganam Courtar Avargale'' and ''Chinnappadas'' in this period. Sathyaraj received the Best Tamil Actor award in Filmfare Awards South for his performance in '' Vedham Pudhithu'' (1987). Sathyaraj had established himself as a leading actor and in ''Chinna Thambi Periya Thambi'', in which Prabhu and Sathyaraj were cast in the starring role, Prabhu's character played second fiddle to Sathyaraj's character. He played a bespectacled leading man in the commercially successful ''Ganam Courtaar Avargaley'' His 99th film was '' Dravidan'' and his 100th film was '' Vaathiyaar Veettu Pillai'' but the latter fared better at the box office.

1990–1999: Breakthrough

In the 90s, he attempted more films of comedy and action genres and occasionally did romantic films. He had few unsuccessful films such as '' Madurai Veeran Enga Saami'', '' Magudam and'' '' Pangali'' in this period as he became selective of choosing his roles as main lead hero. Many of them were commercially successful, such as '' Velai Kidaichuduchu'', '' Nadigan'', '' Pudhu Manithan'', '' Rickshaw Mama'', '' Walter Vetrivel'', '' Udan Pirappu'', '' Thai Maaman'' and '' Bramma''. Sathyaraj played a dual role as father and son in the box office hit '' Amaithipadai'', which is considered among his best performances. With regard to the film, he has stated: "I have no words for that film, as it took me to the next level as an actor". He also said that he almost did not sign up for the film as it was an antagonist character and he had moved away from antagonist roles and "gained some respectability" with films such as ''Poovizhi Vaasalile'', ''Vedham Pudhidhu'' and ''Walter Vetrivel''. After ''Thai Maaman'' became successful in 1994, the same team of Sathyaraj and director Guru Dhanapal decided to do their next venture ''Maaman Magal'' in 1995, which was also a moderate hit. He acted, produced and directed in his 125th film '' Villadhi Villain'', which had him in three distinct roles and it was a successful project. His pairing opposite actress

Khushbu Khushbu Sundar (born Nakhat Khan; 29 September 1970) is an Indian politician, actress, film producer and television personality. She is known for her work predominantly in Tamil cinema, Tamil language films and in a few Telugu cinema, Telugu ...

and Meena became popular in this decade. The box office hits of the pair Kushboo-Sathyaraj include ''Nadigan'', '' Bramma'', ''Rickshaw Mama'', '' Kalyana Galatta'', '' Suyamvaram'' and '' Malabar Police''. The on-screen pair of Sathyaraj- Meena together had average grossers such as ''Thai Maaman'', '' Maaman Magal'' and '' Vallal''. His chemistry with actors Goundamani and Senthil has been well received and appreciated by the public and hence they have appeared in many movies together from '' Vaazhkai Chakkaram'' in 1990.

2000–2009: Comedy and character roles

The year 2000 proved to be unsuccessful for Sathyaraj. 4 films between 2000 and 2001 '' Veeranadai'', '' Puratchikkaaran'', '' Aandan Adimai'' and the comedy film '' Looty'' were failures while his commercially successful films were

Sundar C Vinayagar Sundar Vel (born 21 January 1968), known professionally as Sundar C, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, and playback singer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He has directed over 30 films and received the Kalaimamani#2009, Kalaim ...

's '' Unnai Kann Theduthey'', P. Vasu's comedy film '' Asathal'' and Suraj's '' Kunguma Pottu Gounder''. As many new young actors such as

Ajith Kumar Ajith Kumar Subramaniam (born 1 May 1971) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. To date, he has starred in over 63 films, and won four Vijay Awards, three Cinema Express Awards, three Filmfare Awards South and three Ta ...

, Vijay and

Prashanth Prashanth Thiagarajan (born 6 April 1973), known professionally as Prashanth, is an Indian actor, businessman, playback singer and film producer known for his works predominantly in Tamil cinema. Besides Tamil films, he has also appeared in f ...

who debuted in the 1990s had established themselves successfully by 2000, and others such as R. Madhavan, Jiiva and Srikanth made their mark in the mid-2000s and also since Sathyaraj had been using wigs since 1985 in films as he had begun losing hair since then, critics felt Sathyaraj's career as solo lead actor may end by 2000. Sathyaraj re-invented himself as a romantic hero with the 2002 film '' Vivaramana Aalu'', as a hero '' Maaran'' and with his performance in the comedy film '' Aalukkoru Aasai'' in 2003. Sathyaraj and director

Sakthi Chidambaram Sakthi N Chidambaram (born Dinakar), is an Indian film director and screenwriter, who directs Tamil cinema, Tamil films. Career His real name is C. Dhinakaran. He first wrote the dialogues for the films ''Kottai Vaasal'' (1992), ''Veettai Paar ...

's combination gave 3 consecutive films, '' Ennamma Kannu'', '' Maha Nadigan'' and '' Englishkaran''. His 2004 film '' Sema Ragalai'' opposite Devayani was a hit at box office. Few films like '' Ramachandra'', '' Sena'' and '' Azhagesan'' received negative reviews in this decade. He co-starred with his son Sibiraj for the first time in '' Jore'' which was average. Bizhat described "It's interesting to watch the father – son combination together in ''Jore''. Sathyaraj then acted with his son in 3 more films '' Mannin Maindhan'' (2005), '' Vetrivel Sakthivel'' (2006) and '' Kovai Brothers'' (2006), in which the two were seen as brothers and these were commercially successful. In 2007, he produced a Tamil film '' Lee'', starring his son . Other Films in the 2000s with Sathyaraj in the lead role that fared well at the box office were '' 6'2'', '' Vanakkam Thalaiva'', '' Kurukshetram'', '' Adavadi'', '' Periyar'' and '' Thangam''. He received the Vijay Award for Best Actor for '' Onbadhu Roobai Nottu'' in 2007 and was also nominated for his performance in ''Periyar'' in the same year, in which he portrayed the life of social reformer and rationalist Periyar E. V. Ramasamy. About the role he said, "I myself being a rationalist, I found it easy to portray his character on screen. His principles and ideologies, like fighting for women's liberation and untouchability, have influenced me to a great extent". Sathyaraj makes a comeback to Telugu cinema after a hiatus in the action comedy movie '' Sankham'' (2009).

2010–present: Supporting and matured roles

In the early 2010's, he accepted supporting roles in films such as '' Aagathan'', '' Guru Sishyan'', ''

Aayiram Vilakku ''Aayiram Vilakku'' () is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by S. P. Hosimin. The film stars Sathyaraj and Shanthanu Bhagyaraj, whilst Sana Khan, Suman, Kamal Kamaraju, and Ganja Karuppu, play pivotal roles. The ...

'', '' Uchithanai Muharnthaal'', '' Nanban'', '' Thalaivaa'' and '' Raja Rani''. In ''Nanban'', he played a college professor and won the Best Supporting Actor awards at the Filmfare, Vijay and SIIMA ceremonies, while in ''Thalaivaa'', ''Raja Rani'', '' Mirchi'' (Telugu) and '' Chennai Express'' (Hindi) he played father characters. Sathyaraj and Manivannan worked together for the last time in '' Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA'', which was Manivannan's 50th and last directorial venture before his death. A sequel to ''Amaidhipadai'', it was also the 200th film of Sathyaraj and became a box office bomb. He also entered Malayalam cinema with '' Aagathan'' in 2009. He played the role of Kattappa in the TeluguTamil bilingual series '' Baahubali: The Beginning'' (2015) and has reprised the role in the sequel '' Baahubali: The Conclusion'' (2017). In 2015, at the age of 60, the media and public at large rechristened him as Kattappa, as he received nationwide popularity for his role in India's biggest motion picture ''Baahubali: The Beginning''. Since the time he made his debut as junior artiste at 24 years of age, he had been wanting to do a historical or a folklore film and it was his long cherished dream. He quoted in an interview in 2015: "I am a great fan of M.G.R who is popular in folklore films, like NTR in Telugu movies. My dream of doing a folklore at 24 has been realised at 60 through Rajamouli. I played Rajinikanth's father when I was 31 and Rajini was 35, so I never cared for age..it never mattered to me." He acted as lead role in the film '' Oru Naal Iravil'' (2015). A faithful remake of much acclaimed Malayalam movie, '' Shutter'' has been helmed by editor turned director, Antony with great integrity. Sathyaraj as the middle aged man brings so much life to his character. In 2016, he acted with his son Sibiraj in '' Jackson Durai'', another addition to the popular "Horror-comedy genre". He played the role of DC Ratnavel "Randy", a Police officer in the film '' Mersal'' (2017) directed by Atlee. Sathyaraj won the Best Supporting Actor – Tamil for the movie '' Kanaa'' (2018). The following year, he subsequently starred in films like ''

Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

'', '' Prati Roju Pandage'' and '' Thambi''. In 2021, he appears in '' Tughlaq Durbar'', inspired by Manivannan's political satire . Then Ponram's, '' MGR Magan'' which has Sathyaraj and Sasikumar starring. In '' Theerpugal Virkapadum'', he plays the role of a dad who seeks revenge for the injustice meted out to his daughter. In 2022, he had nine releases with notably '' Etharkkum Thunindhavan'', '' Veetla Vishesham'' and '' Love Today'' which received positive reviews. He also starred in the Telugu anthology drama series '' Meet Cute'' streaming on

SonyLIV Sony LIV is an Indian subscription video-on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Culver Max Entertainment. Sony LIV was introduced in 2013 as the first OTT service in India. As a streaming service, it provides live sports, origina ...

. In December, the horror thriller '' Connect'' was released where sathyaraj played the role of Nayanthara's father. They also come together in '' Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food'' (2023). He later appeared as a lead actor in ''

Weapon A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder), law ...

'' (2024) and '' Thozhar CheGuevara'' (2024). Sathyaraj and Rajinikanth will reunite after 38 years for Lokesh Kanagaraj's ''

Coolie Coolie (also spelled koelie, kouli, khuli, khulie, kuli, cooli, cooly, or quli) is a pejorative term used for low-wage labourers, typically those of Indian people, Indian or Chinese descent. The word ''coolie'' was first used in the 16th cent ...

'' (2025). They last acted together in the 1986 film, '' Mr. Bharath''.

Personal life

In 1979, Sathyaraj married Maheswari, niece of producer Madhampatti Sivakumar, and had two children, daughter Divya and son Sibiraj, also an actor. Sathyaraj is a staunch atheist. Sathyaraj and Manivannan shared a close friendship since college and became frequent collaborators in films in Tamil cinema. ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...

'' wrote: "His (Manivannan's) friendship with actor Sathiyaraj translated to several memorable moments on screen. Manivannan...along with Sathyaraj epitomised on screen what is colloquially known in Tamil as "nakkal" (snideness)". According to Behindwoods.com, Manivannan (as the director) and Sathyaraj had consecutive hit films together beginning from 1987 to 1994; '' Chinna Thambi Periya Thambi'', '' Ganam Courtar Avargale'', '' Jallikattu'', '' Vaazhkai Chakkaram'', '' Pudhu Manithan'', '' Therku Theru Machan'' and .Manivannan , Successive hits – Who gave the most in Tamil cinema?
. Behindwoods.com. About working with Manivannan, he has said that it "is a pleasure. There's no script, no dialogue sheet. It's all in his head. But, he extracts great performances". Sathyaraj and Manivannan also acted together in several films directed by other directors. About his personal relationship with Manivannan, Sathyaraj remarked "I still reminisce about the beautiful moments that I had with...Manivannan, a genius of a person. In fact, he is the one who taught me many things in life, and changed me, I became a good human from being just an actor. Every day, we used to have conversations over the phone on a wide range of topics. It was a 30-year relationship. No one could understand me the way he did". Manivannan died in 2013 and Sathyaraj has said that just 24 hours before his death they had discussed their next project and that he narrated him a story.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Honours

, - ! scope="row" , 1991 ,

Kalaimamani The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the ''Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram'' (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government ...

, Government of Tamil Nadu , , - ! scope="row" , 1995 , Tamil Nadu State Film Honorary Award (MGR Award) , Tamil Nadu State Film Awards , , - ! scope="row" , 2000 , Honorary Doctorate , Sathyabama University , , - ! scope="row" , 2011 , Kalaichchigaram Award , Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards , , - ! scope="row" , 2017 , Honorary Doctorate , Vels University ,

Awards

{, class="wikitable" , + List of awards and nominations received by Sathyaraj , - style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;" ! scope="col" , Year ! scope="col" , Category ! scope="col" , Award ! scope="col" , Film ! scope="col" , Result , - , 1987 , Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil ,

Filmfare Awards South The Filmfare Awards South are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, Malayalam cinema and Kannada cinema. They are presented by ''Filmfare'' magazine of The Times Group. When it was intr ...

, '' Vedham Pudhithu'' , , - , 1988 , Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil ,

, '' En Bommukutty Ammavukku'' , , - , 1990 , Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil ,

, '' Nadigan'' , , - , 1990 , Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize , Tamil Nadu State Film Awards , '' Nadigan'' , , - , 1993 , Cinema Express Award for Best Actor – Tamil , Cinema Express Awards , '' Walter Vetrivel'' , , - , 2007 , Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize , Tamil Nadu State Film Awards , '' Periyar'' , , - , 2007 , Periyar Award , Government of Tamil Nadu , '' Periyar'' , , - , 2007 , Best Actor , Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards , '' Periyar'' , , - , 2007 , Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil ,

, '' Onbadhu Roobai Nottu'' , , - , 2007 , Vijay Award for Best Actor ,

Vijay Awards The Vijay Awards are presented by the Tamil television channel STAR Vijay to honour excellence in Tamil cinema. It has been given annually since 2006, with the latest—the 10th edition—of the award-giving ceremony having been held i ...

, '' Onbadhu Roobai Nottu'' , , - , 2012 , Vijay Award for Best Supporting Actor ,

, '' Nanban'' , , - , 2012 , Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Tamil ,

, '' Nanban'' , , - , 2012 , Best Actor in a Supporting Role , South Indian International Movie Awards , '' Nanban'' , , - , 2013 , Best Actor in a Supporting Role , South Indian International Movie Awards , '' Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam'' , , - , 2013 , SIIMA Award for Best Supporting Actor – Telugu , South Indian International Movie Awards , '' Mirchi'' , , - , 2013 , Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Tamil ,

, '' Raja Rani'' , , - , 2015 , Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Telugu ,

, '' Baahubali: The Beginning'' , , - , 2015 , SIIMA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Telugu) , South Indian International Movie Awards , '' Baahubali: The Beginning'' , , - , 2015 , Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Telugu , 1st IIFA Utsavam , '' Baahubali: The Beginning'' , , - , 2015 , Performance in a Supporting Role – Tamil , 1st IIFA Utsavam , '' Baahubali: The Beginning'' , , - , 2015 , Best Supporting Actor , Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards , '' Baahubali: The Beginning'' , , - , 2016 , Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Telugu ,

, '' Nenu Sailaja'' , , - , 2017 , Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Telugu ,

, '' Baahubali 2: The Conclusion'' , , - , 2017 , Best Supporting Actor – Telugu , South Indian International Movie Awards , '' Baahubali 2: The Conclusion'' , , - , 2017 , Best Supporting Actor , Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards , '' Baahubali 2: The Conclusion'' , , - , 2018 , Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Tamil ,

, '' Kanaa'' , , - , 2018 , Best Supporting Actor , South Indian International Movie Awards , '' Kanaa'' , , - , 2019 , Best Supporting Actor , South Indian International Movie Awards , '' Thambi'' , , -

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1954 births 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian male actors Filmfare Awards South winners Indian atheists Indian male film actors Living people Actors from Coimbatore Male actors in Hindi cinema Male actors in Kannada cinema Male actors in Tamil cinema Male actors in Telugu cinema People from Coimbatore district People from Coimbatore Periyarists Tamil male actors Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners IIFA Utsavam winners