# Suraj Venjaramoodu (സുരജ് വെഞ്ഞാറമൂട്)
**Suraj Venjaramoodu** (സുരജ് വെഞ്ഞാറമൂട്; born 1976) is an Indian actor, comedian, television presenter, and impressionist who works primarily in [Malayalam cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/malayalam-cinema) and has appeared in over 250 films[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2241427/). Born Suraj Vasudevan in [Thiruvananthapuram](https://www.edgepedia.org/thiruvananthapuram), Kerala, he began as a mimicry artist and stand-up comedian, became one of Malayalam cinema's most bankable comedy performers, and then rebuilt his career as a serious character actor, winning the National Film Award for Best Actor for *Perariyathavar* (2013)[2](https://www.pib.gov.in/newsite/printrelease.aspx?lang=2®=48&relid=104863) • [3](https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/amp/story/features/interviews/ahead-of-jailer-2-suraj-venjaramoodu-on-unlikely-star-arc-in-tamil-cinema-its-far-from-easy). Since 2015 he has focused mainly on dramatic and character roles, and since 2025 he has also worked in [Tamil cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamil-cinema)[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/interviews/2026/Apr/29/suraj-venjaramoodu-risk-taking-is-important-for-an-actor).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala; grew up in the village of Venjaramoodu, which gives him his screen name[5](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/suraj-venjaramoodu/upcoming-movies.html) • [3](https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/amp/story/features/interviews/ahead-of-jailer-2-suraj-venjaramoodu-on-unlikely-star-arc-in-tamil-cinema-its-far-from-easy) |
| Film output | Over 250 Malayalam films since his debut in the spoof *Jagapoga* (2001)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2241427/) • [6](https://www.malayalachalachithram.com/movieslist.php?a=1509) |
| National honor | National Film Award for Best Actor, 61st National Film Awards (for 2013), for *Perariyathavar*, shared with Rajkummar Rao[2](https://www.pib.gov.in/newsite/printrelease.aspx?lang=2®=48&relid=104863) |
| State honors | Four Kerala State Film Awards: three for Best Comedian (2009, 2010, 2013) and Best Actor (2019) for *Android Kunjappan Version 5.25* and *Vikruthi*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2241427/) • [7](https://keralakaumudi.com/en/news/news.php?id=411401&u=kerala-state-film-awards-announced-suraj-venjaramoodu-and-kani-kusruthi-adjudged-best-actors) |
| Career turning point | His cameo as a grieving father in *Action Hero Biju* (2016), followed by *Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum* (2017)[8](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/interviews/2018/Apr/30/comedy-is-in-my-blood-suraj-venjaramoodu-5769.html) |
| Tamil cinema | Debut in *Veera Dheera Sooran: Part 2* (2025); appears opposite Rajinikanth in *Jailer 2* (2026)[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/interviews/2026/Apr/29/suraj-venjaramoodu-risk-taking-is-important-for-an-actor) |
## Early life and entry into performance
Suraj grew up in Venjaramoodu, a village outside Thiruvananthapuram, in a family of army men; his father was a retired soldier of the [Indian Army](https://www.edgepedia.org/indian-army) and his elder brother Saji served in the forces[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2241427/) • [9](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/interviews/2022/01/05/suraj-venjaramoodu-brother-saji-venjaramoodu-interview.html). Joining the army was the family expectation for him, but at the age of 13 he fell off a bicycle and broke his right hand, an injury that ruled out a military career; the duty expected of him passed to his brother, who first introduced him to mimicry[3](https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/amp/story/features/interviews/ahead-of-jailer-2-suraj-venjaramoodu-on-unlikely-star-arc-in-tamil-cinema-its-far-from-easy). He studied at the K.V.M.L.P.S school in Venjaramoodu and later earned a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from Government ITI, Attingal, in Thiruvananthapuram district[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2241427/).
His performance career began in mimicry troupes across Kerala, and his command of the Thiruvananthapuram dialect became his signature; it was this skill that led [Mammootty](https://www.edgepedia.org/mammootty) to bring him in to help master the slang for *Rajamanikyam* (2005)[10](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/loud-comedian-versatile-actor-evolution-malayalam-cinemas-suraj-venjaramoodu-66509). He became popular through the television comedy show *Jagapoka* on Kairali TV before moving into films[11](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/suraj-venjaramoodu/2445/).
## Comedy career
Suraj entered Malayalam cinema with the spoof film *Jagapoga* (2001)[6](https://www.malayalachalachithram.com/movieslist.php?a=1509). Through the mid-2000s he took small comic parts in films such as *Bus Conductor* (2005), *Achuvinte Amma* (2005), and *Rasathanthram* (2006)[6](https://www.malayalachalachithram.com/movieslist.php?a=1509). His breakthrough came with *Thuruppu Gulan* (2006), in which he played Mammootty's accomplice, and his first prominent supporting role was in *Mayavi* (2007)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2241427/).
**Peak comedy years.** His first film as a protagonist was *Duplicate* (2009), and his character Dasamoolam Damu in *Chattambinadu* (2009) acquired cult status; other popular comic roles included Idivettu Sugunan in *Pokkiri Raja* (2010)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2241427/). His brand of comedy was loud and physical, laced with the Thiruvananthapuram accent, and filmmakers began writing a comic sub-track specifically for him[10](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/loud-comedian-versatile-actor-evolution-malayalam-cinemas-suraj-venjaramoodu-66509). He won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Comedian in 2009, 2010, and 2013[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2241427/).
An early sign of a different register came in [Aashiq Abu](https://www.edgepedia.org/aashiq-abu)'s *Daddy Cool* (2009), where he played Aimutty, an eatery owner and gang mediator in [Ernakulam](https://www.edgepedia.org/ernakulam) speaking a Kochi dialect; the role passed with little notice at the time, but it showed his ability to shed his usual mannerisms and adapt to regional dialects[12](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/malayalam/when-a-mammootty-starrer-provided-glimpses-suraj-venjaramoodu-acting-prowess-8687311/).
## Transition to serious roles
Suraj has described the shift as unplanned but deliberate. He realized that the comic sidekick format would be short-lived, and after directors kept asking him to redo his signature style, he began asking directors for meatier roles[10](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/loud-comedian-versatile-actor-evolution-malayalam-cinemas-suraj-venjaramoodu-66509). The chance came with Dr. Biju's *Perariyathavar* (2013), in which he shot for 15 days playing a nameless garbage collector; the film won the National Film Award for Best Actor, which he shared with [Rajkummar Rao](https://www.edgepedia.org/rajkummar-rao) for *Shahid*[3](https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/amp/story/features/interviews/ahead-of-jailer-2-suraj-venjaramoodu-on-unlikely-star-arc-in-tamil-cinema-its-far-from-easy) • [2](https://www.pib.gov.in/newsite/printrelease.aspx?lang=2®=48&relid=104863). The jury citation praised his "dignified and quiet portrayal of a man on the lower margins of the society"[2](https://www.pib.gov.in/newsite/printrelease.aspx?lang=2®=48&relid=104863).
The award alone did not change the offers he received; he said he kept getting the same comic roles until his small but potent cameo in *Action Hero Biju* (2016), in which a grieving father learns that the child he raised belongs to another man[8](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/interviews/2018/Apr/30/comedy-is-in-my-blood-suraj-venjaramoodu-5769.html) • [3](https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/amp/story/features/interviews/ahead-of-jailer-2-suraj-venjaramoodu-on-unlikely-star-arc-in-tamil-cinema-its-far-from-easy). He has called that role the real turning point of his career[8](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/interviews/2018/Apr/30/comedy-is-in-my-blood-suraj-venjaramoodu-5769.html).
**Character-actor phase.** Serious roles followed in quick succession: the sexist jailer Nelson in *Karinkunnam 6's* (2016), the helpless son of a domineering mother in *Oru Muthassi Gadha* (2016), and the husband in [Dileesh Pothan](https://www.edgepedia.org/dileesh-pothan)'s *Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum* (2017), in which his restrained performance ran alongside [Fahadh Faasil](https://www.edgepedia.org/fahadh-faasil)'s[10](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/loud-comedian-versatile-actor-evolution-malayalam-cinemas-suraj-venjaramoodu-66509). He has continued to take comic parts occasionally, saying "comedy is in my blood" and that he would not refuse comedies such as *Two Countries*[8](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/interviews/2018/Apr/30/comedy-is-in-my-blood-suraj-venjaramoodu-5769.html).
In 2019 he played two contrasting leads: Bhaskara Pothuval, an elderly widower who befriends a caretaker robot, in *Android Kunjappan Version 5.25*, and Eldho, a man with hearing and speech impairments victimized by cyberbullying, in *Vikruthi*[13](https://www.thenewsminute.com/kerala/kerala-state-awards-kani-kusruthi-suraj-lijo-pellissery-among-winners-135232). The two performances won him the Best Actor award at the 50th [Kerala State Film Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/kerala-state-film-awards), announced in October 2020[7](https://keralakaumudi.com/en/news/news.php?id=411401&u=kerala-state-film-awards-announced-suraj-venjaramoodu-and-kani-kusruthi-adjudged-best-actors). He played the husband in Jeo Baby's *The Great Indian Kitchen* (2021) and a pivotal role in *[Jana Gana Mana](https://www.edgepedia.org/jana-gana-mana-2022-film)* (2022)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2241427/).
## Tamil cinema and recent work
Suraj had long wanted to work in Tamil; he began approaching Tamil directors after *Action Hero Biju*, and his debut finally came in 2025 in SU Arun Kumar's *Veera Dheera Sooran: Part 2*, opposite Vikram[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/interviews/2026/Apr/29/suraj-venjaramoodu-risk-taking-is-important-for-an-actor) • [3](https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/amp/story/features/interviews/ahead-of-jailer-2-suraj-venjaramoodu-on-unlikely-star-arc-in-tamil-cinema-its-far-from-easy). On the first day of that shoot he faced an eight-minute single-take sequence with more than five pages of Tamil dialogue, which he learned from transliterated "Tanglish" sheets and WhatsApp voice notes[3](https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/amp/story/features/interviews/ahead-of-jailer-2-suraj-venjaramoodu-on-unlikely-star-arc-in-tamil-cinema-its-far-from-easy).
The role led directly to *Jailer 2* (2026), [Nelson Dilipkumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/nelson-dilipkumar)'s sequel in which he appears opposite Rajinikanth's Muthuvel Pandian[3](https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/amp/story/features/interviews/ahead-of-jailer-2-suraj-venjaramoodu-on-unlikely-star-arc-in-tamil-cinema-its-far-from-easy). His 2026 Tamil slate also includes Vignesh Raja's *[Kara](https://www.edgepedia.org/kara-film)*, in which he appears alongside Dhanush, and Ken Karunas's *Youth*[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/interviews/2026/Apr/29/suraj-venjaramoodu-risk-taking-is-important-for-an-actor) • [5](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/suraj-venjaramoodu/upcoming-movies.html). He has said that dubbing in Tamil takes him about ten days where a Malayalam film takes two[3](https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/amp/story/features/interviews/ahead-of-jailer-2-suraj-venjaramoodu-on-unlikely-star-arc-in-tamil-cinema-its-far-from-easy).
## Awards
Suraj's honors span comedy and drama. Besides the National Film Award for Best Actor (2013) and the [Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor](https://www.edgepedia.org/kerala-state-film-award-for-best-actor) (2019), he has won Kerala State Film Awards for Best Comedian three times, SIIMA awards for Best Actor in a Comedy Role (Malayalam) in 2012 and 2013, Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 2017 and 2019, and Best Actor (Malayalam) in 2019, and multiple Asianet Film Awards for humorous and character roles[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2241427/). His total listed wins and nominations across databases run to eight wins and six nominations[14](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2241427/awards/).
## References
1. [Suraj Venjaramoodu, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2241427/)
2. [61st National Film Awards for 2013 Announced, Press Information Bureau](https://www.pib.gov.in/newsite/printrelease.aspx?lang=2®=48&relid=104863)
3. [Ahead of 'Jailer 2,' Suraj Venjaramoodu On Unlikely Star Arc in Tamil Cinema, The Hollywood Reporter India](https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/amp/story/features/interviews/ahead-of-jailer-2-suraj-venjaramoodu-on-unlikely-star-arc-in-tamil-cinema-its-far-from-easy)
4. [Suraj Venjaramoodu: Risk-taking is important for an actor, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/interviews/2026/Apr/29/suraj-venjaramoodu-risk-taking-is-important-for-an-actor)
5. [Suraj Venjaramoodu Upcoming Movies, FilmiBeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/celebs/suraj-venjaramoodu/upcoming-movies.html)
6. [List of Malayalam Movies acted by Suraj Venjaramoodu, Malayala Chalachithram](https://www.malayalachalachithram.com/movieslist.php?a=1509)
7. [Kerala state film awards announced, Suraj Venjaramoodu and Kani Kusruthi adjudged best actors, Kerala Kaumudi](https://keralakaumudi.com/en/news/news.php?id=411401&u=kerala-state-film-awards-announced-suraj-venjaramoodu-and-kani-kusruthi-adjudged-best-actors)
8. [Comedy is in my blood: Suraj Venjaramoodu, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/interviews/2018/Apr/30/comedy-is-in-my-blood-suraj-venjaramoodu-5769.html)
9. [Our father wanted Suraj to join the army: Saji Venjaramoodu, Onmanorama](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/interviews/2022/01/05/suraj-venjaramoodu-brother-saji-venjaramoodu-interview.html)
10. [From loud comedian to versatile actor: The evolution of Malayalam cinema's Suraj Venjaramoodu, The News Minute](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/loud-comedian-versatile-actor-evolution-malayalam-cinemas-suraj-venjaramoodu-66509)
11. [Suraj Venjaramoodu, BookMyShow](https://in.bookmyshow.com/person/suraj-venjaramoodu/2445/)
12. [When a Mammootty-starrer provided an early glimpse of Suraj Venjaramoodu's acting prowess, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/malayalam/when-a-mammootty-starrer-provided-glimpses-suraj-venjaramoodu-acting-prowess-8687311/)
13. [Kerala State Awards: Kani Kusruthi, Suraj, Lijo Pellissery among winners, The News Minute](https://www.thenewsminute.com/kerala/kerala-state-awards-kani-kusruthi-suraj-lijo-pellissery-among-winners-135232)
14. [Suraj Venjaramoodu, Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2241427/awards/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of South Asia › Indian screen actors, 2000s onward › Surnames T to Y*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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