Ranjith (born 15 November 1972) is anIndian actor and director who appears inTamil andMalayalam language films.^[3] In 2024, he participated in the reality showBigg Boss 8 as a contestant.

After completing a course in acting, Ranjith made his acting debut in 1993 withPon Vilangu, directed by K. S. Rajkumar, was produced byR. K. Selvamani. The critic K. Vijayan ofNew Straits Times praised Ranjith's acting citing that "Ranjith, despite his big build, impresses in his debut performance."^[4] The next year, he acted the lead role in the rural dramaSindhu Nathi Poo (1994).

In 1996, he appeared inMinor Mappillai and inAvathara Purushan. In the start of 1998, Ranjith played as an antagonist inMaru Malarchi oppositeMammooty, the film was released to critical acclaim and he won theTamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Villain for his role. He later acted inNinaithen Vandhai then the blockbusterNatpukkaga and played the villain role inDharma. He appeared in the supporting role inDesiya Geetham andPudhumai Pithan while he played one of the leads in the low-budget filmCheran Chozhan Pandian. He resumes his role in the Telugu dramaSneham Kosam (1999), remake ofNatpukkaga directed byK. S. Ravikumar.

From 1999 to 2001, he had predominantly appeared in supporting and villain roles except inNesam Pudhusu andKann Thirandhu Paaramma where he played the lead role. In 2003, Ranjith directed, produced and played the title role inBheeshmar (2003).

Ranjith later acted in Malayalam movies such asNatturajavu (2004),Rajamanikyam (2005),Chandrolsavam (2005) andLokanathan IAS (2005).

He has acted as the lead role inAadhikkam (2005),Padhavi Paduthum Paadu (2005),Pasupathi c/o Rasakkapalayam (2007),Kasimedu Govindan (2008) andMunnar (2009) as well as in supporting role inThambikku Indha Ooru (2010),Gowravargal (2010),Sagaptham (2015) andAdhibar (2015).

Ranjith makes small-screen debut withVijay TV’sSenthoora Poove.^[5] He is particularly through his role in the much-loved serialBaakiyalakshmi. His work in serials has further endeared him to a broader audience, cementing his place in the industry as a beloved figure.^[6]

Initially scheduled to release in February 2024, due to the controversies surrounding the film, his self-directed drama film titledKavundampalayam was pushed to August 2024.^[7]

In 2024, he participated in the reality television seriesBigg Boss 8 as a contestant.^[8] He was later evicted from the show on day 77 at 13th place.^[9]

Ranjith was a member and spokesperson of theAll India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam for many years. After the death of AIADMK supremoJayalalithaa in December 2016, Ranjith started to supportO. Panneerselvam's faction of AIADMK.^[10] In July 2018, Ranjith left the AIADMK and joined thePattali Makkal Katchi as the new deputy leader of the party.^[11] On 26 February 2019, Ranjith, the vice president of PMK, quit the party citing that he could not digestS. Ramadoss andAnbumani Ramadoss' change of stance in supporting the AIADMK in the2019 Indian general election. The next day, Ranjith metAmma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam's general secretaryT. T. V. Dhinakaran and joined the party officially.^[12]

In August 2024, Ranjith sparked controversy while speaking to media, saying thatcaste-basedhonor killing was not violence; rather, it was a parent's way of showing their care towards their children.^[13] He later retracted his statement, saying that he "oppose[s] all forms of killing".^[14]

• Manoj Bharathiraja –Kadal Pookkal (2001)

• Male actors in Tamil cinema
• Indian male film actors
• Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners
• Tamil actors
• 1972 births
• Living people
• Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam politicians
• Pattali Makkal Katchi politicians
• All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam politicians

• CS1 Tamil-language sources (ta)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use Indian English from January 2019
• All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English
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