Ramesh Aravind | |
|---|---|
 Ramesh Arvind in 2018 | |
| Born | (1964-09-10)10 September 1964 (age 61) |
| Alma mater | University of Visvesvaraya College of Engineering,Bangalore |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, director, television presenter, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Works | Full list |
| Spouse | Archana Ramesh |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | ramesharavind |
Ramesh Aravind (born 10 September 1964), known mononymously asRamesh, is an Indian actor, director, screenwriter and television presenter, predominantly inKannada, in addition toTamil,Telugu andHindi films.
He has made his acting career withK. Balachander'sSundara Swapnagalu in 1986.[1] Ramesh has appeared in over 140 films besides directing about 10 films in Kannada & Tamil.[2]
He has so far received twoKarnataka State Film Awards namely, forAmerica America (1997) andHoomale (1998) besides winningBest Story award for his writing; twoFilmfare Awards South, twoUdaya Film Awards andSuvarna Film Awards.
He has largely appeared in romantic drama in Kannada films such asAnuraga Sangama (1995),Karpoorada Gombe (1996),Nammoora Mandara Hoove (1996),Amruthavarshini (1997),America! America!! (1997),O Mallige (1997),Ulta Palta (1997),Mungarina Minchu (1997),Thutta Mutta (1998),Hoomale (1998),Sambhrama (1999) andChandramukhi Pranasakhi (1999).
Later, Ramesh returned to act performance oriented roles in films such asKurigalu Saar Kurigalu (2001),Kothigalu Saar Kothigalu (2001),Apthamitra (2004),Varsha (2005),Rama Shama Bhama (2005),Pushpaka Vimana (2017) andShivaji Surathkal (2020).
Ramesh hosts the television showWeekend with Ramesh,[3] which has aired for five seasons onZee Kannada.[4] He also hosted Season 3 ofKannadada Kotyadhipati, the Kannada version ofWho Wants to Be a Millionaire.[5]Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) appointed Aravind as the awareness ambassador forCOVID-19.[6] He is the Brand Ambassador for 7 Wonders of Karnataka campaign jointly done by Suvarna News and Tourism Dept ofKarnataka.[7][8]
In 2022, he was awarded an honorary doctorate for his contribution to field of cinema byRani Channamma University.[9][10] Also in 2022, he was awarded the Dr. Shivarama Karanth Award for his services as an actor, director and resource person.[11][12][13]
In 2025, Dr. Ramesh Aravind was ranked as the 4th Top Motivational Speaker in India and 28th globally by Feedspot, a leading blog and information platform. This recognition highlights his influence and impact in the field of motivational speaking.[14]
In a moment of historic recognition, Austin mayor pro team Vanessa Fuentes presented an official Mayoral proclamation declaring 23 August, as "Dr Ramesh Aravind Day"[15][16] in Austin, Texas.
While studying at engineering college, Ramesh Aravind worked as anemcee at award functions, including an event celebrating the success of the filmSagara Sangamam (1983), where he met his long-term collaboratorKamal Haasan.[17] He then started his television career hosting the showParichaya onDD1-Kannada before working on a Kannada-language film titledMouna Geethe, in which he had a supporting role.[18][19] Prior to the release of the film, Aravind was approached by directorK. Balachander who had been casting the role of Kamal Haasan for a Kannada version of the Tamil filmSollathaan Ninaikkiren (1973).[20] After a brief audition, Balachander selected Aravind after being "impressed with his eyes" and cast him as the playboy character inSundara Swapnagalu (1986), which released shortly beforeMouna Geethe.[21][22]
Balachander then gave Aravind a small role inPunnagai Mannan (1986) asRevathi's ex-lover but his scenes were edited out of the final version.[17] Aravind worked with the same director in the Tamil filmManathil Uruthi Vendum (1987) but Balachander later recommended to Aravind to opt out of the film and work withK. Bhagyaraj instead to make his debut in a leading role. The proposed film was later shelved and Aravind returned to the cast ofManathil Uruthi Vendum, winning critical acclaim for his performance. Balachander introduced Ramesh Aravind into Telugu films throughRudraveena, having been introduced into three film industries by the same director.[22]
Ramesh made his breakthrough portraying a student union leader inVasanth's romantic drama filmKeladi Kanmani (1990), whose commercial success.[23] He earned critical acclaim in Tamil cinema for his portrayal of a love-ridden musician in Balachander'sDuet (1994) and for his performance alongsideKamal Haasan inBalu Mahendra's comedy filmSathi Leelavathi (1995).[22] In his return to Tamil films since the mid-1990s, Ramesh frequently collaborated with Kamal Haasan on projects including the unreleasedKanden Seethaiyai (1996),Panchathantiram (2002) andMumbai Xpress (2005).[22]
Subsequently, he returned to theBangalore-based film industry to work in Kannada films. He appeared in several consecutive commercially successful Kannada films includingAnuraga Sangama (1995),Karpoorada Gombe (1996),Nammoora Mandara Hoove (1996),Amruthavarshini (1997),America! America!! (1997),O Mallige (1997),Ulta Palta (1997),Mungarina Minchu (1997),Thutta Mutta (1998),Hoomale (1998),Sambhrama (1999) andChandramukhi Pranasakhi (1999), becoming one of the industry's highest-paid actors.
Ramesh Aravind scripted the filmHoomale in 1998, leading to his career in film directing.[24][25]Hoomale won Aravind the Best Actor Filmfare Award and the Karnataka State Award. His script forAmruthadhare (2005) won him the Raghvendra Chitravani Award for Best Story.[26]
Ramesh Aravind's directorial debut wasRama Shama Bhama (2005) with Kamal Haasan.[27] After this, he directedSathyavan Savithri andAccident.[28][29] In 2009, he directed the comedy filmVenkata in Sankata and laterNammanna Don in 2012.[25]
When Kamal Haasan asked Aravind to direct the Tamil-language filmUttama Villain (2015), Aravind accepted the offer.[30]Uttama Villain is the first Aravind-directed film in which he did not portray a leading role; he said he accepted the film due to the "challenging nature of the script" and the opportunity to direct his mentor K. Balachander.[17]
In 2016, Ramesh Aravind has stamped his own signature for his seventh directorial,Sundaranga Jaana, remake the original 2015 Telugu film,Bhale Bhale Magadivoy.[31] In 2021, Ramesh as the protagonist and excels in his performance in the crime thriller film100.[32]
His Kannada book "Art of Success"[33] which is a collection of his quotes, became a bestseller. His recent book "Preetiyinda Ramesh" as highly successful with 5 editions in 5 months of release[34][35][36] Aravind has written and narrated the Kannada audiobook "MasadaMaatu with Ramesh", which is available onStorytel.[37]
Ramesh was also a celebritytalk-radio host onBig FM.[38] His more recent notable appearance was inShivaji Surathkal 2 which was released all over cinema theatres on 14 April 2023.[39]
In 2024, his popular book & the Best Seller of 2022 - 23 "Preethyinda Ramesh" was translated to Tamil language as "Anbudan Ramesh".[40]
Ramesh Aravind is also known for his work as a motivational speaker.[41] A message in his voice was used as ringtone urging voters to vote in 2023 Assembly elections over Jio, Airtel platforms because of his noncontroversial and neutral image.[42] He was chosen as Brand Ambassador for Bengaluru Gold Shopping Festival - Edition 2 in 2023.[43]
Ramesh Aravind has hosted the following shows:[44] His showWeekend with Ramesh involves him inviting some of the prominent personalities from Karnataka to talk about their personal and professional lives.[45] His show Weekend With Ramesh Season 5 is streaming on Zee Kannada.[46][47] Dr. Ramesh Aravind turns as "Master-Mind" or Maha Guru for the show Mahanati (2024) telecasting every weekend in Zee Kannada channel. His inspirational speeches, and activities & other constant supporting abilities are appreciated by audience.[48]
Ramesh Aravind has won awards for his acting, directing and writing.[49][50] He was awarded an honorary doctorate degree byRani Channamma University for his contribution to cinema.[51] In the year 2022, he was awarded the Dr. Shivarama Karanth Award for his work as an actor, director and resource person.[52]
| Year | Award | Category | Film / Show |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | Karnataka State Film Awards | Best Actor | America America |
| 1997 | Filmfare Awards South | Best Actor – Kannada | Amrutha Varshini |
| 1997 | Udaya Film Awards | Best Actor | O Mallige |
| 1997 | Screen Awards | Best Actor – Kannada | America America andAmrutha Varshini[53] |
| 1998 | Filmfare Award South | Best Actor – Kannada | Hoomale |
| 1998 | Filmfans Association Award | Best Actor | Hoomale |
| 1998–99 | Karnataka State Film Awards | Best Actor | Hoomale |
| 1999 | Filmfans Association Award | Best Actor | Sambhrama |
| 1999 | Cinema Express Award | Best Actor | Chandramukhi Pranasakhi |
| 2005 | Raghavendra Prathishtana Awards | Best Story | Amrithadhare |
| 2006 | Udaya Film Awards | Best Director Debut | Rama Shama Bhama |
| 2006 | Suvarna Film Awards | Best Actor (Hero in a comedy role) | Rama Shama Bhama |
| 2015 | Zee Kutumba Awards | Pride of Zee Kannada | Weekend with Ramesh |
| 2016 | Zee Kutumba Awards | Pride of Zee Kannada | Weekend with Ramesh |
| 2018 | Zee Hemmeya Kannadiga | Proud Inspiration | [54] |
| 2022 | Honorary Doctorate | In Contribution to Cinema Industry | By Raani Channamma University, Belagavi |
| 2022 | Dr. Shivarama Karanth Award | In contribution to Cinema & Society | By Dr Shivarama Karanth foundation[55] |
| 2023 | Kannada Kala Bhushana Award | In Contribution to Cinema & Society | By Karunada Sambrama, Bengaluru[56] |
| 2024 | 5th Chandanavana Film Critics Academy Awards | Best Actor | Shivaji Suratkal 2 |
| 2024 | Mantralaya Parimala Prashasti 2024 | In Contribution to Cinema Industry | By Mantralaya Mutt & Space Media |
| 2024 | Raghavendra Parimala Prashasti 2024 | In Contribution to Cinema Industry | By Parimala Geleyara Balaga |
| 2025 | Dr Ramesh Aravind Day on 23 August | In Contribution to Cinema & Socitey | By Official Mayoral proclamation, Austin Mayor pro team Vanessa Fuentes |
Ramesh Aravind was born on 10 September 1964 to P.A. Govindachari and Saroja, who are originally fromTanjore district.[57] He has four siblings.[58] He studied in Karnataka from fourth standard onwards.[57] He is married to Archana Aravind and they have two children.[58][59]
{{cite web}}:|last= has generic name (help)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
