Karuppu Raja, known for his stage name Ganja Karuppu (born 5 January 1976), is an Indian actor who has predominantly appeared in comedy roles in

Tamil cinema Tamil cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Tamil language, the main spoken language in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is nicknamed Kollywood, a portmanteau of the names Kodambakkam, a Ch ...

. After making his debut in

Bala Bala may refer to: Films * ''Bala'' (1976 film), an English-language dance documentary * ''Bala'' (2002 film), a Tamil-language action film * ''Bala'' (2019 film), a Hindi-language black comedy Life forms *Bala shark (''Balantiocheilos melano ...

's ''

Pithamagan ''Pithamagan'' () is a 2003 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language action film, action crime drama film written and directed by Bala (director), Bala. The film stars Vikram (actor), Vikram, Suriya, Laila (actress), Laila and Sangeetha Krish, San ...

'' (2003), Ganja Karuppu experienced success in the late 2000s with his roles in '' Raam'' (2005), ''

Sivakasi Sivakasi is a city in Virudhunagar District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The city is known for firecrackers and match factories that produce 70% of the country's output. The printing industries in Sivakasi produce 30% of the total diaries ...

'' (2005), ''

Paruthiveeran ''Paruthiveeran'' () is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language romantic action drama film written and directed by Ameer. The film stars Karthi in his feature film debut as the title character, with Priyamani as the female lead and Ponvannan, Saravanan ...

'' (2007), ''

Subramaniyapuram ''Subramaniapuram'' is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language action film written, produced, and directed by Sasikumar. Sasikumar cast then relatively new actors Jai, Swathi, Samuthirakani, Ganja Karuppu, and himself in pivotal roles. The film also mar ...

'' (2008) and ''

Naadodigal ''Naadodigal'' () is a 2009 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by Samuthirakani and produced by S. Michael Rayappan of Global Infotainment. The film stars Sasikumar along with Vijay Vasanth and Bharani, while Ananya ...

'' (2009).

Career

Karuppu was introduced as an actor by director

in ''

'' (2003) as a person who works in the

ganja ''Ganja'' (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for cannabis flower, specifically marijuana or hashish. Its usage in English dates to before 1689. Etymology ''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi (, IPA: �aːɲd͡ʒa� ...

plantations. As a result of the role, he was thereafter credited in films as Ganja Karuppu. In the 2000s, he subsequently was regularly cast in rural films by directors, working on notable films including

Ameer Amir is a title of rulers or military leaders in many Muslim countries, alternatively written as ''Emir''. Amir or Ameer may also refer to: People * Amir (name), people with the given name and surname Amir or Ameer * Amir (singer) (born 1984), ...

's '' Raam'' (2005) and ''

'' (2007), Sasikumar's ''

Subramaniapuram ''Subramaniapuram'' is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language action film written, produced, and directed by Sasikumar. Sasikumar cast then relatively new actors Jai, Swathi, Samuthirakani, Ganja Karuppu, and himself in pivotal roles. The film also mar ...

'' (2008),

Samuthirakani P. Samuthirakani (born 26 April 1973) is an Indian actor and film director who works predominantly in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. He worked as an assistant to director K. Balachander, in '' Paarthale Paravasam''. He won the National F ...

's ''

'' (2009) and Sargunam's ''

Kalavani ''Kalavani'' () is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by newcomer A. Sarkunam. It stars Vimal and debutante Oviya, with Saranya Ponvannan, Ilavarasu, Ganja Karuppu, and Soori in supporting roles. The musi ...

'' (2010). During the period, he was also cast in the second lead role in

Chimbudevan Chimbu Devan is an Indian film director, writer, cartoonist, and screenwriter known for his works in Tamil cinema. His films mostly explore the fantasy and historical genres and also comedy. He debuted with the historical comedy-drama film, ''I ...

's ''

Arai En 305-il Kadavul ''Arai En 305-il Kadavul'' () is a 2008 Tamil-language fantasy comedy film directed by Chimbu Deven. A remake of the 2003 Hollywood film '' Bruce Almighty'', the film stars Prakash Raj, Santhanam alongside Ganja Karuppu, Jyothirmayi, and Ma ...

'' (2008) alongside Santhanam, produced by

S Pictures S Pictures is a film production company managed by film director S. Shankar. Filmography Films produced Films distributed In addition to the films produced by S Pictures since 1999, the following films from other banners were distributed b ...

. The period of success meant that he was cast in the lead role of a film titled ''Mannar Valaikuda'' by Dhanasekaran. Despite making progress, the film about the plight of the fishermen community did not have a theatrical release. In 2012, Karuppu was set to enter

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

with a role in the Hindi remake of

's ''

Poraali ''Poraali'' () is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by P. Samuthirakani and produced by M. Sasikumar. The film stars Sasikumar, Allari Naresh, Swathi Reddy, Nivetha Thomas, Vasundhara Kashyap, Soori and Ganja Karuppu ...

'' (2011), but the film eventually did not materialise. He had revealed that he would change his name to "Ganja Khan" for his stint in the Hindi film industry. Karuppu chose to turn film producer with ''

Velmurugan Borewells ''Velmurugan Borewells'' is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by Gopi M P and starring Mahesh, Ganja Karuppu, Aarushi and Ragasya. Cast * Mahesh as Ramesh *Ganja Karuppu as Velmurugan *Aarushi *Ragasya as Dhanam *I ...

'' (2014) but the film went through production delays and had a low profile theatrical release, losing him a significant amount of money. Director Bala later criticised Karuppu for unnecessarily putting his acting career in jeopardy with the move. Following a period away from notable films, Karuppu made a comeback with significant roles in S. J. Surya's as ''

Isai ''Isai'' () is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language musical thriller film written, directed and composed by S. J. Suryah, who starred himself in the lead role alongside Sathyaraj and Sulagna Panigrahi in her film debut. The film marked Suryah's retur ...

'' (2015) and '' Dharma Durai'' (2016). In 2017, he participated in the first season of the Tamil reality television show ''

Bigg Boss ''Bigg Boss'' is an Indian reality show franchise based on the Dutch reality show '' Big Brother''. It is produced by Endemol Shine India through JioStar Network. Subsequently, the various versions of the show are made internationally availabl ...

'' hosted by

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 ...

. After regularly clashing with fellow actor

Bharani Bharani (Devanagari: भरणी) is the second nakshatra in Hindu astronomy, corresponding to 35, 39, and 41 Arietis all together. In Jyotiṣa, Bharani is ruled by Shukra (the planet Venus). Also, it is classified as a Cruel or Active n ...

, he was evicted on day 14.

Personal life

He married Sangeetha, a physiotherapist, in January 2010 in a ceremony held in his home town of

Nattarasankottai Nattarasankottai is a village in Sivaganga district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. Geography Nattarasankottai is located at . It has an average elevation of 75 metres (246 feet). Demographics As o ...

. His first son was born in April 2011 in Madurai. In 2013, he chose to adopt the expenses of five mentally ill people in Trichy. Later in 2016, he announced his intentions of becoming a politician.

Filmography

;Films ;Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Karuppu, Ganja Tamil male actors Indian male film actors Living people Tamil comedians People from Sivaganga district Male actors in Tamil cinema Indian male comedians Male actors from Tamil Nadu 1976 births Cooku with Comali contestants