Raghuvaran

Raghuvaran (11 December 1958  was an Indian actor who predominantly acted in movies made in South India. He became famous for his portrayal of villain and character roles in Tamil films. He has acted in more than 150 Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films. The actor had carved a niche for himself with his special style and voice modulation and was considered a natural actor.

He was noted for his stellar role as the protagonist of a Tamil soap opera, Oru Manidhanin Kadhai, about a well-to-do man who becomes an alcoholic. He received critical acclaim for his role as Father Alphonse in the Malayalam movie Daivathinte Vikruthikal, directed by Lenin Rajendran and based on a book by M. Mukundan with the same title.

He was born in 1958 near Kollengode in Palakkad district, Kerala. He was the grandson of Mr. N. Radha Krishna Menon and Late. Smt. Satyavathy Amma and son of Mr Velayudhan and Mrs. Kasturi.

He dropped out of his Bachelor of Arts in Coimbatore (Govt Arts College) to pursue a career in Acting. He initially tried to make a foray into the Malayalam Industry but was informed that it was not very profitable and one needed money to get there. He landed a minor role in Kannada Film Swapna Thingalgal- starring Kannada veteran Ambrareesh. He began acting in small minor roles in Telegu and Kannada films including one as a Rapist (2 Minute Scene) in Udaya starring Kannada actor Vishnuvardhan.

From 1979 to 1983- he was part of the acting drama troupe in Chennai- Chennai Kings which also included another popular kannada/Tamil supporting actor- Nassar. He was spotted and cast in a small role in Ezhavathu Manithan which was his biggest role to date-from then he moved from success to success.

He was married to Malayalam actress Rohini (of the Magalir Mattum fame) and has a son with her, Sai Rishivaran. The couple separated and divorced later.

Raghuvaran�s success as an actor was setback by his addiction to alcohol and drugs. He was in and out of rehabilitation clinics.

Raghuvaran began as a stage actor and debuted in the 1982 Tamil film Elavathu Manithan (Seventh Man). He bagged several state and Filmfare Awards for his outstanding performances in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films. He began his career as a supporting actor in a number of films in Tamil including Mani Rathnams Anjali as the father of a mentally retarded autistic child which was rated as one of his best performances as a supporting actor. However he later perfected in roles as a subtle and sophisticated villain in extremely memorable roles- like in Baasha as Mark Anthony, Mudhalvan as The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Shiva and Muthu as Rajnikanth's Nephew Ilaimaran. In recent times,he went back to supporting roles- sometimes as a father or as a mentor in films such as Alai (Simbus Father), Yaaradi Nee Mohini (Dhanush's Father), Tirumalai (Vijays Friend and Mentor) and Bala (Shyams Mentor).

He has also acted in a number of Hindi movies such as Lal Badshah.

Raghuvarans voice is a unique one and is subject to numerous mimicries. He has also won a number of State Awards and is regarded as one of the finest villains in the history of Tamil Cinema.

Raghuvaran died on 19 March 2008 in Chennai as a result of a cardiac arrest. It is also said that he had a history of liver disease due to excessive consumption of liquor over a long period of time. He died in sleep.

His death occurred during the filming stages of several films, notably the high-budget Tamil film, Kanthaswamy. Raghuvaran's roles were later left unused and were replaced with Ashish Vidyarthi, which resulted in the film's delayed release.

Prepared by: Dr. Susie Pazhavarical