Sathyaraj | |
|---|---|
 Sathiyaraj at a press meeting in 2007 | |
| Born | Rangaraj Subbiah (1954-10-03)3 October 1954 (age 70)[1] |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Works | Full list |
| Spouse | |
| Children | |
Rangaraj Subbiah (born 3 October 1954), known professionally asSathyaraj, is an Indian actor, film producer, film director and a media personality who appears predominantly inTamil films. He also appears in works inTelugu,Malayalam,Kannada andHindi. He is a recipient of threeFilmfare Award South and threeTamil Nadu State Film Awards.
He started his career in antagonistic roles and later played lead roles. He met with success through lead performances inVedham Pudhithu (1987),Nadigan (1990),Amaidhipadai (1994),Periyar (2007) andOnbadhu Roobai Nottu (2007). He also received acclaim for supporting roles inNanban (2012),Raja Rani (2013),Baahubali (2015),Baahubali 2 (2017) andKanaa (2018). He was also the director of the filmVilladhi Villain (1995), starring himself in three different roles.
In 2011, he had a brief career as a television host for the game showHome Sweet Home onSTAR Vijay.[2] He has also served as abrand ambassador forPothys, Susi Emu farms,[3] and Kumaran jewellery Shop.[4]
Sathyaraj was born as Rangaraj on 3 October 1954 to Subbiah, a doctor, and Nathambal, with two younger sisters, namely Kalpana Mandradiar and Roopa Senapathy.[5][6] He is an ardent fan ofM. G. Ramachandran[7][8] and Hindi actorRajesh Khanna. Sathyaraj completed his primary school education in St Mary's Convent school,Coimbatore and later studied for tenth standard from Suburban High School, Ramnagar, Coimbatore. He went toGovernment Arts College, Coimbatore, for a Bachelor of Science degree inbotany.[9][10][5]
Sathyaraj's dream was to become an actor, but his mother was against it and forbid him to join cinema. In 1976, in spite of his mother's opposition, he left Coimbatore to enter the Tamil film industry based in Kodambakkam, Chennai.[11]
Sathyaraj entered the film industry after witnessing the shooting of the filmAnnakili, where he met actorSivakumar and producer Thiruppur Manian and started pestering them to help him fulfill his cinematic ambitions.[10] Sivakumar vehemently criticized his interest in acting and advised him to immediately return home. Nevertheless, he remained in Chennai. Producer Maathampatty Sivakumar supported him with sending money every month.[12] He joined the drama troupe of Komal Swamynathan. Sathyaraj's first film in a credited role as an actor wasSattam En Kaiyil,[13] in 1978, where he played a henchman to the main villain played byThengai Srinivasan in the film. Later, he worked as production manager for the filmKannan Oru Kaikkuzhanthai.[14][5]
In addition to his managerial role, he also had a small acting part in the film. His first film as the leading hero in Tamil wasSaavi in 1985, which was a box office success. He acted in about 75 films from 1978 to 1985, most of which featured Sathyaraj in antagonist roles.[7][15]
In his early career (between 1978 and 1982), Sathyaraj often played antagonistic roles, typically as a henchman to main villains likeM. N. Nambiar. His roles were minor, with leading actors such asSivaji Ganesan,Jaishankar,Kamal Haasan,Rajinikanth, andVijayakanth dominating the screen.
Sathyaraj's breakthrough came when his college friend,Manivannan, directed him in the Tamil filmNooravathu Naal (1984), where he had a supporting role.[16] Manivannan went on to cast Sathyaraj in two other films that same year --24 Mani Neram andJanuary 1—where he was the main villain.[17]
His performances were widely noticed, earning him recognition among Tamil audiences. He further solidified his reputation inKakki Sattai (1985), where he was again the principal antagonist.[17]
1985 also marked a turning point in Sathyaraj's career. His first lead role came withSaavi (1985), a Tamil-language crime thriller written and directed by Karthik Raghunath.Saavi was significant as it marked Sathyaraj's debut as a protagonist, albeit in a character with negative shades.
InRasigan Oru Rasigai (1986), directed by Balu Anand, Sathyaraj made his debut as a hero with Ambika as his heroine.[18] Next, inKadalora Kavithaigal (1986), as Chinnappa Das, he played the lead romantic role[19][20][21] andBehindwoods said: "Sathyaraj broke his image of an action hero and came up with a rollicking performance. He is the real star of the film."[22] He received appreciation for playing his role inMr. Bharath (1986), which revolved around the conflict between father, played by Sathyaraj and son (Rajinikanth). Sathyaraj acted as Rajinikanth's father in the film, though he was in fact 4 years younger than Rajinikanth.[17]Manivannan, being friends with Sathyaraj, kept casting him in roles in his directorial ventures, regularly showcasing different emotions from Sathyaraj in films such asMuthal Vasantham,Palaivana Rojakkal andVidinja Kalyanam.
AfterKadalora Kavithaigal, Sathyaraj had box office hits as the lead hero between 1986 and 1988 such asManthira Punnagai,Kadamai Kanniyam Kattupaadu,[23]Poovizhi Vasalile,Makkal En Pakkam (in which he had dual roles),Annanagar Mudhal Theru,En Bommukutty Ammavukku andChinnappadass. Manivanan from 1987 onward started casting Sathyaraj in positive roles and their combination had box office hits likeChinna Thambi Periya Thambi,Jallikattu,Ganam Courtar Avargale andChinnappadas in this period. Sathyaraj received the Best Tamil Actor award in Filmfare Awards South for his performance inVedham Pudhithu (1987).
Sathyaraj had established himself as a leading actor and inChinna Thambi Periya Thambi, in whichPrabhu and Sathyaraj were cast in the starring role, Prabhu's character played second fiddle to Sathyaraj's character. He played a bespectacled leading man in the commercially successfulGanam Courtaar Avargaley His 99th film wasDravidan and his 100th film wasVaathiyaar Veettu Pillai but the latter fared better at the box office.
In the 90s, he attempted more films of comedy and action genres and occasionally did romantic films. He had few unsuccessful films such asMadurai Veeran Enga Saami,Magudam andPangali in this period as he became selective of choosing his roles as main lead hero. Many of them were commercially successful, such asVelai Kidaichuduchu,Nadigan,Pudhu Manithan,Rickshaw Mama,Walter Vetrivel,Udan Pirappu,Thai Maaman andBramma. Sathyaraj played a dual role as father and son in the box office hitAmaithipadai, which is considered among his best performances. With regard to the film, he has stated: "I have no words for that film, as it took me to the next level as an actor".[24] He also said that he almost did not sign up for the film as it was an antagonist character and he had moved away from antagonist roles and "gained some respectability" with films such asPoovizhi Vaasalile,Vedham Pudhidhu andWalter Vetrivel.[9] AfterThai Maaman became successful in 1994, the same team of Sathyaraj and director Guru Dhanapal decided to do their next ventureMaaman Magal in 1995, which was also a moderate hit. He acted, produced and directed in his 125th filmVilladhi Villain, which had him in three distinct roles and it was a successful project.[7][25]
His pairing opposite actressKhushbu andMeena became popular in this decade. The box office hits of the pair Kushboo-Sathyaraj includeNadigan,Bramma,Rickshaw Mama,Kalyana Galatta,Suyamvaram andMalabar Police. The on-screen pair of Sathyaraj-Meena together had average grossers such asThai Maaman,Maaman Magal andVallal. His chemistry with actorsGoundamani andSenthil has been well received and appreciated by the public and hence they have appeared in many movies together fromVaazhkai Chakkaram in 1990.
The year 2000 proved to be unsuccessful for Sathyaraj. 4 films between 2000 and 2001Veeranadai,Puratchikkaaran,Aandan Adimai and the comedy filmLooty were failures while his commercially successful films wereSundar C'sUnnai Kann Theduthey,P. Vasu's comedy filmAsathal andSuraj'sKunguma Pottu Gounder. As many new young actors such asAjith Kumar,Vijay andPrashanth who debuted in the 1990s had established themselves successfully by 2000, and others such asR. Madhavan,Jiiva andSrikanth made their mark in the mid-2000s and also since Sathyaraj had been using wigs since 1985 in films as he had begun losing hair since then, critics felt Sathyaraj's career as solo lead actor may end by 2000.
Sathyaraj re-invented himself as a romantic hero with the 2002 filmVivaramana Aalu, as a heroMaaran and with his performance in the comedy filmAalukkoru Aasai in 2003. Sathyaraj and directorSakthi Chidambaram's combination gave 3 consecutive films,Ennamma Kannu,Maha Nadigan andEnglishkaran. His 2004 filmSema Ragalai oppositeDevayani was a hit at box office.
Few films likeRamachandra,[26]Sena andAzhagesan[27] received negative reviews in this decade. He co-starred with his sonSibiraj for the first time inJore which was average. Bizhat described "It's interesting to watch the father – son combination together inJore.[28] Sathyaraj then acted with his son in 3 more filmsMannin Maindhan (2005),Vetrivel Sakthivel (2006) andKovai Brothers (2006), in which the two were seen as brothers and these were commercially successful. In 2007, he produced a Tamil filmLee, starring his son .[29][30]
Other Films in the 2000s with Sathyaraj in the lead role that fared well at the box office were6'2,Vanakkam Thalaiva,Kurukshetram,Adavadi,Periyar andThangam. He received theVijay Award for Best Actor forOnbadhu Roobai Nottu in 2007 and was also nominated for his performance inPeriyar in the same year, in which he portrayed the life of social reformer and rationalistPeriyar E. V. Ramasamy. About the role he said, "I myself being a rationalist, I found it easy to portray his character on screen. His principles and ideologies, like fighting for women's liberation and untouchability, have influenced me to a great extent".[24] Sathyaraj makes a comeback to Tollywood after a long time in the action comedy movieSankham (2009).[31]
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In the early 2010's, he accepted supporting roles in films such asAagathan,Guru Sishyan,Aayiram Vilakku,Uchithanai Muharnthaal,Nanban,Thalaivaa andRaja Rani. InNanban, he played a college professor and won the Best Supporting Actor awards at the Filmfare, Vijay and SIIMA ceremonies, while inThalaivaa,Raja Rani,Mirchi andChennai Express he played father characters.[32] Sathyaraj and Manivannan worked together for the last time inNagaraja Cholan MA, MLA, which was Manivannan's 50th and last directorial venture before his death. A sequel toAmaidhipadai, it was also the 200th film of Sathyaraj and became a box office bomb.[33][34]
He ventured into Telugu cinema after long time as a supporting actor inSankham in 2009 and later didMirchi in 2012, both of which were successful. He also entered Malayalam cinema withAagathan in 2009. He played the role of Kattappa inBaahubali: The Beginning (2015) and has reprised the role in the sequelBaahubali: The Conclusion (2017).
In 2015, at the age of 60, the media and public at large rechristened him as Kattappa, as he received nationwide popularity for his role in India's biggest motion pictureBaahubali: The Beginning. Since the time he made his debut as junior artiste at 24 years of age, he had been wanting to do a historical or a folklore film and it was his long cherished dream. He quoted in an interview in 2015: "I am a great fan ofM.G.R who is popular in folklore films, likeNTR in Telugu movies. My dream of doing a folklore at 24 has been realised at 60 throughRajamouli. I playedRajinikanth's father when I was 31 and Rajini was 35, so I never cared for age..it never mattered to me."[35]
He acted as lead role in the filmOru Naal Iravil (2015). A faithful remake of much acclaimed Malayalam movie,Shutter has been helmed by editor turned director,Antony with great integrity. Sathyaraj as the middle aged man brings so much life to his character.[36] In 2016, he acted with his sonSibiraj inJackson Durai, another addition to the popular "Horror-comedy genre".[37] Followed by the last movie seriesBaahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017).[38] He played the role of DC Ratnavel "Randy", a Police officer in the filmMersal (2017) directed byAtlee.[39] Sathyaraj won the Best Supporting Actor – Tamil for the movieKanaa (2018). The following year, he subsequently starred in films likeJersey,Prati Roju Pandage andThambi.
In 2021, he appears inTughlaq Durbar, inspired byManivannan's political satireAmaidhi Padai.[40] ThenPonram's,MGR Magan which has Sathyaraj andSasikumar starring.[41] InTheerpugal Virkapadum, he plays the role of a dad who seeks revenge for the injustice meted out to his daughter.[42] In 2022, he had nine releases with notablyEtharkkum Thunindhavan,Veetla Vishesham andLove Today which received positive reviews.[43][44][45] He also starred in the Telugu anthology drama seriesMeet Cute streaming onSonyLIV.[46] In December, the horror thrillerConnect was released where sathyaraj played the role ofNayanthara's father.[47] They also come together inAnnapoorani: The Goddess of Food (2023).[48] He later appeared as a lead actor inWeapon (2024) andThozhar CheGuevara (2024).[49][50] Sathyaraj andRajinikanth will reunite after 38 years forLokesh Kanagaraj'sCoolie (2025). They last acted together in the 1986 film,Mr. Bharath.[51]
In 1979, Sathyaraj married Maheswari, niece of producer Madhampatti Sivakumar, and had two children, daughterDivya and sonSibiraj, also an actor.[52][53] Sathyaraj is a staunchatheist.[54]
Sathyaraj andManivannan shared a close friendship since college and became frequent collaborators in films in Tamil cinema.The Hindu wrote: "His (Manivannan's) friendship with actor Sathiyaraj translated to several memorable moments on screen. Manivannan...along with Sathyaraj epitomised on screen what is colloquially known in Tamil as "nakkal" (snideness)".[55] According to Behindwoods.com, Manivannan (as the director) and Sathyaraj had consecutive hit films together beginning from 1987 to 1994;Chinna Thambi Periya Thambi,Ganam Courtar Avargale,Jallikattu,Vaazhkai Chakkaram,Pudhu Manithan,Therku Theru Machan andAmaidhi Padai.[56] About working with Manivannan, he has said that it "is a pleasure. There's no script, no dialogue sheet. It's all in his head. But, he extracts great performances".[9] Sathyaraj and Manivannan also acted together in several films directed by other directors. About his personal relationship with Manivannan, Sathyaraj remarked "I still reminisce about the beautiful moments that I had with...Manivannan, a genius of a person. In fact, he is the one who taught me many things in life, and changed me, I became a good human from being just an actor. Every day, we used to have conversations over the phone on a wide range of topics. It was a 30-year relationship. No one could understand me the way he did".[24] Manivannan died in 2013 and Sathyaraj has said that just 24 hours before his death they had discussed their next project and that he narrated him a story.[24]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Kalaimamani | Government of Tamil Nadu | Won |
| 1995 | Tamil Nadu State Film Honorary Award (MGR Award) | Tamil Nadu State Film Awards | Won |
| 2000 | Honorary Doctorate | Sathyabama University | Won |
| 2011 | Kalaichchigaram Award | Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards | Won |
| 2017 | Honorary Doctorate | Vels University | Won |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
