Manikandan | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1983-11-29)29 November 1983 (age 42)[1] |
| Other names | Boys Manikandan |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active |
|
Manikanda is an Indian actor who appears inTamil language films. He has acted in films includingBoys (2003) andKicha Vayasu 16 (2005). He had a career resurgence withMaharaja (2024).
Manikandan, a visual communications graduate who had featured inKala's dance troupe doing stage shows, was selected byShankar to feature in his coming-of-age filmBoys after impressing in auditions.[2][3] He shot for the film throughout 2002 alongside fellow debutantsSiddharth,Genelia D'Souza,Bharath,Nakul andThaman.[4] The story centerd on six youngsters, conveying a message about the importance of good education and career over distractions, such as romance and sex, and marked a move away from Shankar's usual brand of vigilante films, gaining much publicity prior to release.[5] The film opened to mixed reviews but became successful at the box office, with reviewers noting the ensemble cast as "excellent".[6][7] In the following years, while the other five debut actors have been successful, Manikandan has struggled to receive acclaim and feature in high-profile films.[8]
Notably, director Shankar revealed that Manikandan was edged by Bharath to star inBalaji Sakthivel'sKaadhal (2004), which had won Bharath significant acclaim.[9] Manikandan subsequently received offers to feature as the lead actor inKadhal FM (2005) and then alongsideSimran inKicha Vayasu 16, but both films were low key releases and fared poorly at the box office.[3][10] He missed opportunities to act inThenmerku Paruvakaatru (2010) andSoodhu Kavvum (2013), which catapultedVijay Sethupathi to stardom.[11] He has since starred in several low-budget films, includingGurusamy andKaadhal 2014.[12]
Manikandan made his acting comeback in 2023 withAdhik Ravichandran's directorial filmsBagheera andMark Antony. In 2024, he received praise from film critics for his portrayal of Dhana, one of the villains, in the revenge film starring Vijay Sethupathi titledMaharaja.
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Boys | Kumar | |
| 2005 | Kadhal FM | Manikandan | |
| Kicha Vayasu 16 | Kicha | ||
| 2006 | Yuga | Rishi | |
| 2010 | Bayam Ariyaan | Pazham | |
| Moscowin Kavery | Moscow's friend | ||
| 2011 | Gurusamy | Subramani | |
| 2014 | Kaadhal 2014 | Kumar | |
| 2023 | Bagheera | Police Officer | |
| Mark Antony | Kumar | ||
| 2024 | Maharaja | Dhana |
