Jiiva
Jiiva | |
---|---|
Born | Amar B. Choudary 4 January 1984 Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
Occupation(s) | Film actor, producer |
Years active | 1990, 1997, 2003–present |
Spouse |
Supriya (m. 2007) |
Children | 1 |
Parent(s) | R. B. Choudary Mahjabeen |
Relatives | Jithan Ramesh (brother) |
Amar B. Choudary (born 4 January 1984), known professionally as Jiiva, is an Indian film actor and producer, who works mainly in Tamil cinema, as well as few films in Malayalam. He is the youngest son of film producer R. B. Choudary. He began his career as a child actor in 1991 in films produced by his father. He made his debut as a lead actor in his father's 50th production, Aasai Aasaiyai (2003). After Sivaji Ganesan, Jiiva is the only Tamil actor to have been awarded at the Cyprus International Film Festival for his performance in the film Raam (2005).
After this, he has acted in other movies that have been successful, such as E (2006), Katradhu Tamizh (2007), Siva Manasula Sakthi (2009), Ko (2011), Nanban (2012), Neethaane En Ponvasantham (2012) and Endrendrum Punnagai (2013).
Early life
Jiiva was born on 4 January 1984 in Chennai to R. B. Choudary and Mahjabeen. He is the youngest of four; his brothers are Suresh Choudary (co-producer in their home banner, Super Good Films), Jeevan Choudary (entrepreneur of a steel company), and Jithan Ramesh Choudary (film actor and producer). R. B. Choudary is a noted independent south Indian film producer (Super Good Films) who has been a launchpad for now-famous directors and actors.
Career
2003–2008: Debut and journey ahead
Jiiva made his debut in his father's 50th production (Super Good Films), Aasai Aasaiyai, directed by Ravi Mariya in 2003. The film performed averagely at the box office, but critics felt that Jiiva left an impression.
His second film Thithikudhe (the Tamil remake of Uday Kiran's Telugu movie Manasantha Nuvve) which also released in the same year was also produced by Super Good Films. The film opened to mixed reviews but the actor gained appreciation for his good looks and expressive emotions. It was his third movie, Ameer's crime thriller, Raam (2005) that was called a 'dream break' for his calling in the film industry. The racy screenplay and his role of an eccentric 17-year-old gained positive feedback from audience and critics. The movie was screened at the International Film Festival in Goa and later at the Cyprus International Film Festival, where he won the Best Actor award.
Jiiva next starred in Dishyum (2006), opposite Sandhya of Kaadhal fame. "A feel-good movie for youngsters", reviewed various local publications. "Jeeva continues from this point and has matured as an actor. His acting is impeccable and natural; his emoting, expressions, emotions expressed by looks, body-language – all are perfect," remarked Galatta.[1]
The same year, he made his debut as an NSG Commando in Malayalam cinema with Major Ravi's film Keerthi Chakra (2006) starring Mohanlal. The movie had a great opening and was one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of the year. Jiiva also won the Best Pair Award along with Gopika at Asianet Film Awards. "Jeeva the Tamil actor has a more heroic role which he has done with felicity. The physical energy he imparts to the role has to be seen to be believed," wrote Sify.[2] Later, the movie was dubbed and released in Tamil as Aran.[3] His last movie in 2006 was E, where he portrayed the role of a slum dweller, opposite Nayanthara.
2007 saw the release of Kattradhu Thamizh, which turned out to be a sleeper hit. Jiiva's role as Prabhakar, a lower-middle-class post-graduate student in Tamil Literature, who turns out to be a sociopath, frustrated by the inequality in society, was praised highly by critics and widely called one of his best films to date. According to a Rediff.com review,[4] "Prabhakar, Jeeva leads you through dimensions that are frankly amazing, endearing as the young, vulnerable Prabha, [...] perfect as the ganja-smoking near-lunatic [...] and freaking brilliant as the frustrated Tamil graduate". A Behindwoods review labelled it "a performance of his lifetime". Jiiva said that after completing the shoot, he had to undergo therapy to "come out of the character" as it was "too emotional".
Jiiva had two more releases after that, Rameswaram in 2007 and Thenavattu in 2008. Both movies performed averagely at the box office.
2009–2014: Success and breakthrough
Among his releases in the 2000s, Jiiva garnered the most appreciation for portraying various roles that were critically and commercially successful. In 2009, Jiiva experienced major commercial success with Director Rajesh's maiden venture, Siva Manasula Sakthi (2009), opposite Anuya, still hailed as one of the best romantic comedies of all time and has since become a cult rom-com in the Tamil film industry. In 2010, he signed up with Super Good Films for a movie titled Kacheri Arambam, which was described as entertaing, action-packed and comical by various news channels (Behindwoods, Indiaglitz, IANS)
His next film was Singam Puli (2011), where he played dual roles, following which K. V. Anand's political thriller Ko (2011) with Piaa Bajpai as the lead-role actress and Karthika Nair in a supporting role. Rediff stated that his role as Ashwin in Ko was a "cake-walk for Jiiva: he's had a ball with the camera, clicking shots in almost impossible situations and making sure his trademark effervescence is present at all times", while Sify said that "with this performance he was going to be a force to reckon with in Tamil cinema".
His next films were Rowthiram (2011), directed by Gokul, and Vandhaan Vendraan (2011) by R. Kannan, released in quick succession. The Hindu review stated, "Jiiva... does a decent job in both. In fact, in Rowthiram, his agility in action sequences is very impressive."[5]
In 2012, he appeared in S. Shankar's comedy-drama Nanban (a remake of the Bollywood blockbuster 3 Idiots). Jiiva reprised the role of Sharman Joshi in the Tamil version as Sevarkodi Senthil and starred alongside Vijay, and Srikanth. At the cost of 550 million (INR), it was one of the most expensive films to be made at that point, and was released on Pongal in 925 screens worldwide. The movie received highly positive reviews and became a blockbuster. Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu stated, "As for Jiiva, you give him characters with scope and he delivers". His next project was Mysskin's Mugamoodi (2012), the first ever Tamil superhero movie. Reports claimed that Jiiva underwent special training at Mansuria Kung Fu YMCA, Nandanam, Chennai, the same place where he had trained in Kung-Fu for a few years before venturing into movies.[6] High-end gadgets were used in the film, designed by the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), while teams from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) created the costumes and looks of the characters. It is said that Jiiva's super hero costume, designed by Gabriella Wilkins, weighed more than 10 kg.
The movie opened to mixed reviews, and a few cited it as "different and refreshing" The movie received much attention from children. Jiiva received appreciation from critics for his role as Lee. "The titular role fits Jiiva well, very much like the armour he dons. But your heart goes out to him — performing stunts in a costume that looks unbearably heavy, with a face-mask to boot must have been quite a task," commented The Hindu review.[7][8] Firstpost.com called Jiiva's role a "rewarding performance".[9] "Jiiva has obviously given his best, and his martial arts sequences are worthy of applause," said Rediff.com.[10]
Jiiva's next venture was Gautham Menon's Neethaane En Ponvasantham (2012), starring opposite Samanatha. The film had an average run at the box office. Critics and audiences felt that the actor brought dignity to the screen as Varun Krishnan.[11] After this, he worked on Bejoy Nambiar's David (2013) alongside Vikram, which garnered positive reviews. His next movie was Endrendrum Punnagai, where he was paired with Trisha for the first time.
Following this film, Jiiva experienced a setback in his career. In 2014, he worked in cinematographer Ravi K. Chandran's directorial debut Yaan, which was a box office failure.
2015–present: Challenges and comeback
Jiiva took a break for a year in 2015 and returned with three releases in 2016. He starred in his 25th film Pokkiri Raja, which opened to mixed to negative reviews. His next film was the long delayed Thirunaal in which he united with Nayantara for the second time. He was next seen in an romantic comedy, Kavalai Vendam (2016), directed by Deekay, where he was paired opposite Kajal Aggarwal. The movie had mixed reviews. "Jiiva seems like the perfect choice for the role, being effortlessly flippant, funny and intensely emotional", said Rediff.com's review.[12]
His 2017 release, Sangili Bungili Kadhava Thorae, a horror comedy by debut director Ike, received a mixed reviews and performed decently at the box office. His next movie was Kalakalappu 2 (2018), directed by Sundar C., released in February. Jiiva was seen alongside Shiva, Jai, Nikki Galrani and Catherine Tresa. A comedy entertainer, the movie received mixed reviews but became a success at the box office.[13]
Jiiva's next film Kee, a cyber thriller, released in May 2019 was received with mixed reviews. He has completed shooting for his upcoming film Gorilla, directed by Don Sandy and featuring a live chimpanzee. The actor has also completed shooting for Gypsy which is to release in July 2019. Besides this the actor is also playing an important role in the Bollywood film 83 alongside Ranveer Singh.
Other work
Jiiva was a judge on STAR Vijay's reality dance competition Jodi Number One in its third season along with Sangeetha and Aishwarya Rajinikanth. He was also a judge on Astro's Yuttha Medai All Stars Grand Finals in Malaysia.[14]
Filmography
- All films are in Tamil, unless otherwise noted.
† | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Year | Film | Role | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2003 | Aasai Aasaiyai | Vinod | [15] | |
Thithikudhe | Chinnu (Venu) | [16] | ||
2005 | Raam | Rama Krishna | [17] | |
2006 | Dishyum | Bhaskar | [18] | |
Keerthi Chakra | Havildar Jaikumar | Malayalam film | [19] | |
E | Easwaran (E) | [20] | ||
2007 | Pori | Hari | [21] | |
Kattradhu Thamizh | Prabhakar | [22] | ||
Rameswaram | Jeevan | [23] | ||
2008 | Thenavattu | Kottaisami | [24] | |
2009 | Siva Manasula Sakthi | Siva | [25] | |
TN 07 AL 4777 | Narrator | [26] | ||
2010 | Kacheri Arambam | Paari | [27] | |
Boss Engira Bhaskaran | Shiva | Cameo appearance | [28] | |
2011 | Singam Puli | Ashok Kumar, Shiva | [29] | |
Ko | Ashwin Kumar | [30] | ||
Rowthiram | Siva | [31] | ||
Vandhaan Vendraan | Arjun | [32] | ||
2012 | Nanban | Sevarkodi Senthil | [33] | |
Mugamoodi | Anand (Bruce Lee) | [34] | ||
Neethaane En Ponvasantham | Varun Krishnan | Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor | [35] | |
Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu | Train Passenger | Special appearance in song "Koti Koti" (Telugu film) | [36] | |
2013 | David | David | [37] | |
Endrendrum Punnagai | Goutham Sridhar | [38] | ||
2014 | Jilla | Himself | Special appearance in "Paatu Onnu" Song | [39] |
Yaan | Chandrasekhar | [40] | ||
2015 | Inji Iduppazhagi | Himself | Cameo appearance | [41] |
Size Zero | Telugu film; cameo appearance | [42] | ||
2016 | Pokkiri Raja | Sanjeevi | 25th film | [43] |
Thirunaal | Blade Ganesh | [44] | ||
Kadavul Irukaan Kumaru | Karthik Kumar | Cameo appearance | [45] | |
Kavalai Vendam | Aravind Baskar | [46] | ||
2017 | Sangili Bungili Kadhava Thorae | Vasu | [47] | |
2018 | Kalakalappu 2 | Srinivas | [48] | |
Tamizh Padam 2 | Himself | Special appearance | [49] | |
2019 | Kee | Siddharth | [50] | |
Gorilla | Jiiva | [51] | ||
2020 | ||||
Seeru | Manimaran | [52] | ||
Gypsy | Gypsy | [53] | ||
83 | Kris Srikkanth | Hindi film | [54] | |
Kalathil Santhipom | TBA | Completed | [55] | |
Methaavi | TBA | Announced |
References
- ^ "Jeeva: I risked my life for Dishyum". www.rediff.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- ^ "Sify". Archived from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ "Tamil movies : Mohanlal unhappy about Aran". www.behindwoods.com. Archived from the original on 25 January 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
- ^ "Rediff.com review". Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ Rangarajan, Malathi (14 August 2011). "Action drama without any punch". The Hindu.
- ^ "Jiiva: Mugamoodi is my first real action film". 30 August 2012. Archived from the original on 16 October 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
- ^ Rangarajan, Malathi (13 August 2011). "Rowthiram - Action saga, but…". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- ^ Mugamoodi Movie Review {3.5/5}: Critic Review of Mugamoodi by Times of India, retrieved 21 August 2018
- ^ "'Mugamoodi' - the super 'hero' who could've been superhero (Tamil Movie Review) - Firstpost". www.firstpost.com. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- ^ "Review: Mugamoodi fails to impress". Rediff. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- ^ Subramanian, Karthik (15 December 2012). "Neethaane En Ponvasantham: An ode to Ilaiyaraaja". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 13 November 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- ^ "Review: Kavalai Vendam is a fun film". Rediff. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- ^ Ramanujam, Srinivasa (9 February 2018). "'Kalakalappu 2' review: Comedy of errors". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ^ "The Star Online : Five pairs working hard to dazzle at grand finals of dance competition". Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
- ^ "The Hindu : Aasai Aasaiyai..." The Hindu. 7 February 2003.
- ^ "The Hindu : A triangular love tale".
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- ^ "With accent on a brave breed". The Hindu. 3 February 2006.
- ^ "rediff.com: Meet Jeeva, Mohanlal's buddy in Keerthichakra". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ^ "Watch E for Jeeva". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ^ "On a commercial spree -- Pori". The Hindu. 9 February 2007.
- ^ "Call this different?". The Hindu. 12 October 2007.
- ^ "Rameswaram Movie Review". .behindwoods.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ^ "Thenavattu Review - Behindwoods.com - Actor Jeeva Actress Poonam Bajwa Direction V V Kathir Production ELK Productions Antony Music Srikanth Deva images tamil picture gallery images". Archived from the original on 3 November 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ^ "Amusing… and tepid too -- Siva Manasula Sakti". The Hindu. 20 February 2009.
- ^ "TN07 AL 4777 is a bumpy ride". Archived from the original on 2 August 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ "Commercial cocktail -- Kacheri Aarambam". The Hindu. 26 March 2010.
- ^ nikhil raghavan (5 September 2010). "Jiiva all the way". The Hindu.
- ^ "Review: Singam Puli works, most of the time". Rediff. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ^ RAGHAVAN S., 21 years, Unix System administrator, Logica PVT Ltd. (28 April 2011). "Almost picture perfect". The Hindu.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Malathi Rangarajan (13 August 2011). "Rowthiram - Action saga, but…". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 30 November 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ^ SUPRIYA KALIDOSS (22 September 2011). "He conquers…". The Hindu.
- ^ MALATHI RANGARAJAN (14 January 2012). "Nanban: Celebrating friendship". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ^ Malathi Rangarajan (September 2012). "Mugamoodi: Unmasked!". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 May 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ^ Karthik Subramanian (15 December 2012). "Neethaane En Ponvasantham: An ode to Ilaiyaraaja". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 January 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ^ "'do Not Watch Nep With Too Much Expectations', Says Gautham - Neethane En Ponvasantham - Gautham Menon - Jiiva - Ilayaraja - Nani - Samantha - Tamil Movie News - Behindwoods.com". Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- ^ Subha j rao (2 February 2013). "David: When the twain meet". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 February 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ^ Sudhish Kamath (21 December 2013). "Endrendrum Punnagai: Needed more smiles, less drama". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 July 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ^ "Jiivas cameo in Jilla". Archived from the original on 18 February 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
- ^ Srinivasa Ramanujam (25 September 2014). "Yearning for Yaan". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 27 November 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ^ "Jiiva does a cameo in Inji Iduppazhagi". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 1 November 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ^ "Telugu-Tamil bilingual film 'Size Zero' addresses important issue sensitively: Sonal Chauhan". 25 November 2015. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ Kaushik L M (27 October 2015). "Jiiva Hansika starrer Pokkiri Raja nears the finish line". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 29 October 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ^ "Jiiva Nayanthara Thirunaal movie to be released on January 14 2016 pongal day - Tamil Movie News". 26 October 2015. Archived from the original on 4 November 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ^ "Jiiva's cameo in Rajesh's film - Times of India". Archived from the original on 22 November 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- ^ Avinash Pandian (12 May 2015). "Jiiva and team Kavalai Vendam crank a fun-filled photo shoot for the film". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ^ "Kamal Haasan's assistant, Ike to direct Jiiva!". Sify.com. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
- ^ "Kalakalappu 2 | Tamil Movie News - Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 6 February 2018. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- ^ Ramanujam, Srinivasa (12 July 2018). "'Tamizh Padam 2' review: a laugh riot". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 July 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- ^ "Tamil film 'Kee' a techno thriller". Gulfnews.com. 8 May 2019. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- ^ "Gorilla Movie Review: Jiiva's film is an utterly pointless and tedious watch". Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- ^ "Seeru Movie Review: A solid masala movie that nicely balances sentiment and action". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 1 May 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- ^ Kumar, Pradeep (5 March 2020). "'Gypsy' movie review: This Raju Murugan film leaves you in deep conflict". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- ^ Kumar, Pradeep (4 February 2020). "I accepted '83' because I could speak in Tamil: Jiiva". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- ^ "Jiiva and Arulnithi's film titled Kalathil Santhipom? - Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.