Kalaiyarasan Harikrishnan (born 20 February 1986) is an Indian actor, who works in theTamil film industry along with fewMalayalam films. He has collaborated with directorsMysskin andPa. Ranjith, with whom he worked inMadras (2014) for which he received acclaim for his performance.[1]
Kalaiyarasan, a graduate in Computer Applications fromSRM Institute of Science and Technology, initially began work as an actor with Parthy Bhaskar'sArjunan Kadhali in 2010, but the film remains unreleased.[2] He then worked with directorMysskin on two ventures,Nandalala (2010) andMugamoodi (2012), and credits the film maker as his mentor. He also played small role in Ranjith's directorial debutAttakathi (2012), playing the suitor to the heroine, as well as in Vikram Sugumaran'sMadha Yaanai Koottam (2013).[3]
Kalaiyarasan's breakthrough as an actor came through his performance in Ranjith's drama filmMadras (2014), where he portrayed the pivotal role of Anbu.[4] Set in the backdrop of North Chennai, Kalaiyarasan auditioned and cleared three screen tests before being handed the role and worked closely with the film's lead actorKarthi in order to shown their on-screen camaraderie. Upon release in September 2014, the film became a commercial and critical acclaimed success, while Kalaiyarasan's portrayal won unanimous praise.[5] A critic from Behindwoods.com noted Kalaiyarasan "steals the show and this has to be his lifetime role", adding that "the youngster has grabbed the opportunity with both hands and we have to laud director Ranjith for giving this dynamic performer good scope to showcase his wares".[6] Similarly Sify.com added that his performance is "riveting" and that "his body language and dialogue delivery in almost a parallel role is terrific."[7]
Following the success ofMadras, Kalaiyarasan's career in the Tamil film industry took off and garnered him higher-profile films as well as lead roles. Ranjith cast him again in a pivotal supporting role in theRajinikanth-starrerKabali (2016), as a school teacher with a vengeance against Rajinikanth's titular character. The film opened to positive reviews for Kalaiyarasan and subsequently went on to become the highest grossing Tamil film of all time.[8] He first portrayed leading roles inDarling 2 (2016) andRaja Manthiri (2016), but his first high-profile project as the protagonist wasC. V. Kumar's productionAdhe Kangal (2017). Featuring alongsideJanani andSshivada, Kalaiyarasan portrayed a blind chef, with the makers using American chefChristine Hà as a character inspiration for his role.[9] The film opened to positive reviews, with critics praising his portrayal of the character.[10] Kalaiyarasan has a series of solo lead films ready for release in 2017, includingYeidhavan andUru.[11][12] He was also be seen inKaalakkoothu (2018) alongsidePrasanna.[13] He has played in lead roles in thrillers films such asPattinapakkam (2018) andKalavu (2019).[14][15][16]
