Guru Somasundaram

Guru Somasundaram is an Indian actor who works in the Tamil and Malayalam film industries. He made his debut in Aaranya Kaandam winning critical acclaim for his role, before also appearing in the Tamil action film Pandiya Naadu (2013), Jigarthanda (2014) and Joker (2016). He rose to fame for playing the role of Shibu, a super villain in the 2021 Netflix Malayalam film, Minnal Murali.

Early life Guru Somasundaram was born on 3 September 1975. He joined the prominent Tamil theatre group in Koothu-P-Pattarai, where he acted in plays from 2002 till 2011. In 2003, director Thiagarajan Kumararaja saw him, while he was playing the role of Chandrahari in Koothu-P-Pattarai's play. Thiagarajan offered him an opportunity to feature in his future film.

Career In 2008, Thiagrajan offered Somasundram a role in his neo-noir film Aaranya Kaandam, as the drunkard Kaalaiyan. Somasundaram lost seven kilograms and underwent training for the movie. Upon release in 2011, the film went on to win two National Film Awards, while Somasundaram's performance was well received by critics. Rediff.com's critic praised the ensemble cast but added "the honours undoubtedly go to Guru Somasundaram. His gleeful cackles at the rooster fight, pathetic rumblings to his son and wide-eyed act in the Lodge are wonderful to behold." Similarly Behindwoods.com noted that the actor had delivered a "superior" performance. After seeing his performance, director Mani Ratnam signed him on to play a small role in Kadal (2013).

After leaving Koothu-P-Pattarai, he toured as a freelance theatre actor, before venturing into Malayalam cinema by portraying a photographer in 5 Sundarikal (2013), after being impressed by Shyju Khaled's narration. Later that year, he was seen in a character role in Suseenthiran's critically acclaimed Pandiya Naadu, portraying the slain brother of Vishal's character. In between feature films, he appeared in the short silent film The Lost Paradise, portraying a prisoner heading home after fifteen years. He also won acclaim for his performance as an acting coach in Karthik Subbaraj's gangster film Jigarthanda (2014), where he was seen giving acting training to the character portrayed by Bobby Simha. Somasundaram had previously trained Simha as an actor in real life during the pair's theatre performances. He is also known for his role as a district collector in the 2019 Tamil film Petta which starred Rajinikanth in the lead role.

Filmography Films Year Title Role Language Notes 2011 Aaranya Kaandam Kaalaiyan Tamil 2013 Kadal Kovil Kutty 5 Sundarikal Photographer Malayalam Pandiya Naadu Nagaraj Tamil 2014 Jigarthanda Muthu 2015 49-O Aarumugam Bench Talkies David Segment: The Lost Paradise; credited as David Thoongaa Vanam Duraipandian TamilBilingual film Cheekati Rajyam Telugu Kohinoor Naayakkar Malayalam 2016 Joker Mannar Mannan Tamil Kuttrame Thandanai Balan 2017 Yaakkai Sriram Paambhu Sattai Rajendran 2018 Odu Raja Odu Manohar Vanjagar Ulagam Sampath 2019 Petta District collector 2021 Maara Chokku Manja Satta Pacha Satta Jai Bhim Public Prosecutor (PP) Chellapandiyan Ikk Gnana Prakasam Minnal Murali Shibu Malayalam 2022 Maamanithan Vappa Bhai Tamil Agent Kannayiram Kannayiram's father Haya Nandagopan Malayalam Naalam Mura Jayesh 2023 Pakalum Paathiravum Janakiraman Yaathisai Priest Tamil Charles Enterprises Gomathi's husband Malayalam Neeraja Psychologist Bell Brahma Tamil Rani: The Real Story Dharmajan Malayalam Spark Life Dr. Rudra Telugu 2024 Bayamariya Brammai Jagadish Tamil Indian 2 Common Man (Animated character) [In body suit] Tamil Cup Babu Malayalam Barroz 3D S. P. Subramanyam Her Auto driver Anthology film 2025 Kudumbasthan Rajendran Tamil Bottle Radha Radha Maranamass Tattoo artistMalayalam Cameo 2026 Parasakthi M. Karunanidhi Tamil My Lord Kathirvelan 2027DragonTelugu

Short films Oru Poi (2016)

Irudhi Aram (2017)

Web series

Awards and nominations YearAwardCategoryFilmLanguageResultRef 2017 Behindwoods Gold Medal Best Actor Male Joker Tamil 2022 10th South Indian International Movie Awards Best Actor in a Negative Role Minnal MuraliMalayalam Mazhavil Entertainment Awards Best Actor in a Villain Role OTT Play AwardsBreakthrough Performance of the Year