Kavin Raj is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He made a transition from the small screen to the silver screen.[1] In the beginning of his career, he made a name for himself by playing the character Vettaiyan, a villain turned into a hero in the television series Saravanan Meenatchi. In 2019, Raj was a contestant on Bigg Boss (Season 3).[2] He got his breakthrough with the lead role in successful movies such as Lift (2021)[3] and Dada (2023).[4]
Kavin Raj | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Kavin in 2018 | |
| Born | Kavirajan 22 June 1990 Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Spouse |
Monica David (m. 2023) |
Career
editWhile completing his education at Loyola College, Raj attended auditions with Star Vijay. His first appearance in television serials was through the college version of Kana Kaanum Kaalangal, in which he appeared as Siva, one of the lead characters. He continued working on Star Vijay, appearing in supporting roles in the serials Thayumanavan and in the first season of Saravanan Meenatchi. In the second season of Saravanan Meenatchi, Raj was initially given an antagonist role but, during the course of the show, his character of Vettaiyan went through a character arc and became the main lead. He won positive critical acclaim for his performance and won the Vijay Television Award for Favourite Actor Male for 2015.[5][6] After season 2, Raj opted not to act in any more television serials and stated his intentions of breaking into the Tamil film industry.[7]
Raj played a supporting role in S. R. Prabhakaran's Sathriyan (2017) and the lead role in Natpuna Ennanu Theriyuma (2019) in 2016. Prior to this, he appeared in small, insignificant roles in Karthik Subbaraj's Pizza (2012) and Ravikumar's Indru Netru Naalai (2015).[8][9] Sathriyan, featuring Vikram Prabhu and Manjima Mohan, eventually opened to mixed reviews, and Raj's role as a doctor opposite Aishwarya Dutta in the film also was met with a mixed response.[10][11] Natpuna Ennanu Theriyuma saw him associate with director Shiva Aravind, whom he became acquainted with during his stint with Star Vijay. They developed the script together.[12][13] In the film, he played a man whose life changes after meeting the main character, played by Remya Nambeesan. The film went through several delays as the producer was keen to have a wide release across Tamil Nadu.[14] The film was ultimately released in 2019 to mixed reviews.[15][16]
Raj became known through his participation in the third season of Bigg Boss Tamil,[17] after which he was cast as the lead actor in Lift, directed by Vineeth Varaprasad and released on OTT, which opened to a positive response .[18][3]
He worked as an assistant director in Doctor (2021). His romantic web series titled Akash Vaani released on February 11, 2022.[19] He went on to star in the critically acclaimed and commercially successful movie Dada.[4] In 2024, his movie Star was released to positive to mixed reviews.[20][21][22]
Filmography
editFilms
edit| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Films | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Pizza | Ghost researcher | Uncredited roles | |
| 2015 | Indru Netru Naalai | Anu's imaginary husband | ||
| 2017 | Sathriyan | Chandran | Supporting role | |
| 2019 | Natpuna Ennanu Theriyuma | Shiva | ||
| 2021 | Lift | Guruprasad | ||
| 2023 | Dada | Manikandan | ||
| 2024 | Star | Kalaiarasan | [23] | |
| Bloody Beggar | Beggar | [24] | ||
| 2025 | Mask † | TBA | Filming | [25] |
| Untitled with Nayanthara † | TBA | Filming | [26] |
Web series
edit| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Akash Vaani | Akaash | [27] |
Television
edit| Year | Serial / show | Role | Channel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–2012 | Kana Kaanum Kaalangal Kalloori Salai Season 2 | Siva | Star Vijay | |
| 2013–2014 | Thayumanavan | Vicky | ||
| 2012–2013 | Saravanan Meenatchi | Murugan | ||
| 2013–2016 | Saravanan Meenatchi Season 2 | Saravana Perumal "Saravanan" (Vettaiyan) | Lead role | |
| 2019 | Bigg Boss Tamil – Season 3 | Contestant | Walked out with 5 lakhs | |
| 2021 | Bigg Boss Tamil – Season 4 | Guest | ||
| 2021 | Bigg Boss Tamil – Season 5 | Guest | ||
| 2023 | Bigg Boss Tamil – Season 6 | Guest | ||
| 2024 | Bigg Boss Tamil – Season 8 | Guest |
Host
edit- Vettaiyadu Vilaiyadu for Star Vijay
- Filmfare Awards South 2018 Tamil version for Star Vijay
- Vijay Television Awards 2015 & 2017 for Star Vijay
- Kings of Dance (season 1) for Star Vijay
- Jailer Audio Launch for Sun TV
Music video
edit- "Asku Maaro" for Sony Music South
Awards
edit- Awards
| Year | Award | Show / film | Role | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Vijay Television Awards for Favourite Actor Male | Saravanan Meenatchi | Saravana Perumal alias Vettaiyan | |
| 2019 | Game Changer Award | Bigg Boss Tamil 3 | ||
| 2019 | Behindwoods Gold Medal Awards for Most Popular Person on Television | Bigg Boss Tamil 3 | ||
| 2019 | Chennai Times Most Desirable Man on Television | |||
| 2019 | Chennai Times Most Desirable Man on 6th position | |||
| 2020 | Viral Song of the Year 2019 | Bigg Boss Tamil 3 | "We are the boyz" | |
| 2021 | Chennai Times Most Desirable Man (16th Position) | |||
| 2022 | Best Actor Male OTT – Blacksheep Digital Awards | Lift | ||
| 2023 | People's Favourite Actor of the Year – Behindwoods Gold Icons 2023 | Dada | ||
| 2024 | Most Promising Actor of the Year – South Indian International Movie Awards 2024 | Dada |
References
edit- ^ "Watch Actor Kavin on 'DaDa' and the road to success". thehindu.com. 21 February 2023.
- ^ "Bigg Boss Tamil 3 fame Kavin still enjoys video games; watch". timesofindia.com. 11 September 2020.
- ^ a b "Lift Review Kavin Starrer is a refreshing horror movie on the corporate trap". indianexpress.com. 2 October 2021.
- ^ a b "dada-movie-review-kavin-aparna-das-impress-in-this-emotional-". www.thehindu.com. 10 February 2023.
- ^ "Kavin shares his experience of being an ardent Ajith fan". Behindwoods.com. 20 June 2017.
- ^ "Vettaiyan gave me the break: Kavin". The Times of India.
- ^ "New season of Saravanan Meenakshi to begin". The Times of India.
- ^ "Did you know, Kavin appeared in Vijay Sethupathi's super hit film Pizza?". The Times of India.
- ^ "Kavin, the accidental hero". Cinema Express.
- ^ "Vikram Prabhu's Sathriyan is based on a True incident happened in Trichy". IndiaGlitz.com. 31 January 2017.
- ^ "Sathriyan (aka) Mudisooda Mannan review". Behindwoods.com. 10 June 2017.
- ^ "Natpuna Ennanu Theriyuma will be entertaining and worth the ticket price: Kavin". The New Indian Express.
- ^ "Three friends and Remya Nambeesan!". The Times of India.
- ^ "Release Of Natpuna Ennanu Theriyuma Postponed Due To Unavailability Of Screens". Silverscreen.com. 11 October 2018.
- ^ "Natpuna Ennanu Theriyuma Movie Review {2.5/5}: Critic Review of Natpuna Ennanu Theriyuma". The Times of India.
- ^ "Natpuna Ennanu Theriyuma Review: Confused execution salvaged by efficient gags". Cinema Express.
- ^ "Bigg Boss Tamil 3: Meet the contestants". The Indian Express. 24 June 2019.
- ^ Sunder, Gautam (30 September 2021). "Actor Kavin on making his comeback with 'Lift,' and why director Nelson is his rockstar". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 October 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
- ^ "Akash Vaani Trailer starring Kavin, Reba John".
- ^ Srinivasan, Sudhir (10 May 2024). "Star Movie Review: Some momentary joys in this not-so-deep take on pursuit of passion". Cinema Express. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
- ^ "'Star' Review: Kavin, Elan's coming-of-age film falls short of excellence". India Today. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
- ^ "'Star' box office collection day 1: A record start for Kavin at the box office". The Times of India. 11 May 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
- ^ "Star: Kavin, Elan movie sets eyes on Valentine's day release". www.moviecrow.com. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ "Kavin's 'Bloody Beggar' to release for Diwali". www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 3 September 2024.
- ^ "Kavin – Andrea Jeremiah team up for 'Mask'; Vetrimaaran to produce the film". www.thehindu.com. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ "Kavin and Nayanthara's film with Vishnu Edavan goes on floors with a muhurat puja". www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 12 July 2024.
- ^ "Kavin, Reba Monica John-starrer Akash Vaani goes on floors". Cinema Express. Retrieved 2 August 2021.