Rahman

Rashin Rahman (born 23 May 1967), commonly known by his surname Rahman, is an Indian actor. He has worked in around 200 films, primarily in Malayalam cinema, in addition to Tamil, Hindi and Telugu cinema, and has won several awards. In Tamil and Telugu cinema, he is also known by the screen names Raghuman and Raghu.

He made his acting debut in Koodevide (1983), for which he won his first Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actor. He was a popular teen idol in Malayalam cinema during the 1980s, which heightened his stardom in Malayalam film industry. He eventually shifted to playing lead roles in Tamil and Telugu films during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He made a comeback to Malayalam films in 2004.

Early life

Rahman was born as Rashin on 23 May 1967 in Abu Dhabi. His family originally hails from Nilambur, Kerala, India. He is eldest of two children of K. M. A. Rahman and Savithri. He has a younger sister Shameema. He was educated at Merryland Kindergarten, Abu Dhabi and Baldwin Boys' High School, Bangalore, St Joseph's School in Abu Dhabi and Rex Higher Secondary School, Ooty and pursued a pre-university degree at Dr. Gafoor Memorial MES Mampad College, Mampad-Malappuram.

Career

Malayalam films In 1983, Rahman, while still in high school in Ooty, was spotted by noted Malayalam director Padmarajan who offered him the lead role in his film Koodevide. The film became a big hit and the teenager became an instant sensation. He was well appreciated for his acting and went on to win the Kerala State Award for Second Best Actor in his debut role at the age of 16. In 1984, he acted in Kaliyil Alpam Karyam directed by Sathyan Anthikad and Ithiri Poove Chuvannapoove by Bharathan. He won critical acclaim and awards for the performance in the latter. In the same year, he acted in Kanamarayathu directed by I.V. Sasi, which went on to become a critical and commercial success. The song Oru Madhurakinavin, which is picturised on him and Shobana, became very popular and was a chartbuster all over Kerala. It is considered an iconic dance number in Malayalam cinema even today.

In the same year, he acted in Padmarajan's Parannu Parannu Parannu alongside Rohini. He was then seen in I. V. Sasi's thriller film Uyarangalil, Adiyozhukkukal and K. S. Sethumadhavan's family drama Ariyaatha Veethikal. He then acted in another film of Sathyan Anthikad titled Aduthaduthu, and J. Sasikumar's Ivide Thudangunnu alongside Rohini.

In the first half of 1985, he acted in Kandu Kandarinju, I. V. Sasi's Angadikkappurathu, and Upaharam. By this time Rahman had gained a huge fan base and stardom in Malayalam film industry. He was then seen in Sajan's Thammil Thammil alongside Shobana, Ee Lokam Evide Kure Manushyar and Orikkal Oridathu alongside Rohini. In the second half of 1985, he starred in romantic film Ivide Ee Theerathu, Ente Kaanakkuyil, Koodum Thedi and Katha Ithuvare. Then he acted in Eeran Sandhya, Ee Thanalil Ithiri Nerum and Priyadarshan's Punnaram Cholli Cholli, all of which went on to become commercially successful. In 1986, he acted in I. V. Sasi's super hit film Vartha along with Mammootty, Mohanlal and Seema and a cameo appearance in Aayiram Kannukal. Then, he went on to act in the title role of Nathan in Ennu Nathante Nimmi. He acted in Chilambu directed by Bharathan, which is a martial arts movie and it went on to become big hit at the box office. His next release of the year was Poomukhappadiyil Ninneyum Kaathu, Koodanayum Kattu, Pappan Priyappetta Pappan and P. Padmarajan's crime thriller Kariyilakkattu Pole.

In 1987, he starred in I. V. Sasi's family drama Ithrayum Kaalam and Sathyan Anthikad directorial Gaayathridevi Ente Amma along with Seema. His next release was Aankiliyude Tharattu which was also dubbed into Tamil language. His first release of 1988 was Moonnam Pakkam, a sentimental drama film directed by Padmarajan and then Mukthi by I. V. Sasi. Then, he played dual roles in the thriller film Charithram which was commercially and critically appreciated. Then, he acted in Kaalal Pada along with Jayaram and Suresh Gopi. He acted in the films of almost all the major Malayalam directors at that time including Padmarajan, Bharathan, and I. V. Sasi. He was absent from the Malayalam film industry in the early 1990s as he concentrated on Tamil and Telugu films.

He had only one release in Malayalam during 1990, Veena Meettiya Vilangukal directed by Cochin Haneefa. After a long absence, he acted in Mazhavilkoodaram, King Soloman and Hitlist during the early 1990s. He came back with the movie Dreams, playing the role of a police officer. In 2004, he acted in Black, alongside Mammootty. During 2005 and 2006 he acted in films such as Rajamanikyam, Mahasamudram and Bhargavacharitham Moonam Khandam. He had four Malayalam film releases in 2007, Abraham & Lincoln and Nanma, along with Kalabhavan Mani. He then acted in director Kamal's film Goal and Ranjith's Rock & Roll. In 2008, he did a cameo role in Veruthe oru Bharya. In 2009, he acted in Moss & Cat, directed by Fazil with Dileep as his co-star and Bharya Onnu Makkal Moonnu.

Rahman then appeared in the film Kerala Cafe, in the segment titled "Island Express", under the director Shankar RamaKrishnan. Musafir, produced by Pramod Pappan, is one of Rahman's biggest productions and most expensive ventures to date. Then in 2011, he acted in Traffic, a multi-narrative road thriller film written by his friends Bobby and Sanjay. His next theatrical release was Manjadikuru written and directed by Anjali Menon. In 2012, he acted in Bachelor Party, a gangster drama film directed by Amal Neerad.

He was then seen in one of the lead roles along with Prithviraj Sukumaran and Jayasurya in the 2013 film Mumbai Police. Penned by Bobby and Sanjay and directed by Rosshan Andrrews, it was a huge financial success in Kerala. In 2015, he played the lead role in Lavender written by Anoop Menon. He then starred in the 2016 film Marupadi directed by V.M. Vinu.

In 2018, he featured in the action thriller film Ranam along with Prithviraj Sukumaran and was appreciated for his performance as a drug lord. In 2019, he starred in Virus, a medical thriller film directed by Aashiq Abu set against the backdrop of the 2018 Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala.

He also acted for the graphic novel style newspaper movie 'Locked Inn' published in malayala manorama newspaper in 2020 along with Jayasurya.

Tamil and Telugu films Rahman's first Tamil film was Nilave Malare, which was released in 1986; the director of the film was S. A. Chandrasekhar. He subsequently appeared in Kanne Kaniyamuthe, Vasantha Raagam and Anbulla Appa (with Sivaji Ganeshan).

In 1999, he acted in the Tamil film Sangamam, directed by Suresh Krishna, which depicts the feud between classical and folk dance. The music of the film was composed by A. R. Rahman. The Tamil film Ethiri (2004) was the first film Rahman dubbed for in his own voice. In 2005, after a long gap in Telugu, Rahman acted in Dhairyam (2005), a film that was well received. Rahman then performed in the Tamil films Raam and Thoothukudi, which were released in 2005 and 2006 respectively. He played the villain in Billa (2007), and reprised his role as the main antagonist in the Telugu film of the same name, released in 2009.

After his debut with Suhasini as the heroine, he worked with her again after a gap of 25 years for the Tamil movie, Balam (2009). His next film Vaamanan, directed by Ahmed (who has worked as assistant to director Kathir), did well throughout South India. Rahman's next Telugu film Simha was released worldwide on 30 April 2010. It went on to become the highest grosser of 2010, and the 5th highest-grossing movie in the Telugu Film Industry. He then appeared in Oosaravelli and Vanthaan Vendraan. In 2014, he acted as the protagonist's father in the movie Govindudu Andarivadele, directed by Krishna Vamsi. In 2016, he starred in the Tamil-language thriller film Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru. He also played the main roles in Pagadi Aattam (2017) and Oru Mugathirai (2017). He played Madhurantakan in the historical fiction epic drama, Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022) directed by Mani Ratnam.

Awards Rahman won the State Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in his first film, Koodevide. He also won the Film Critics Award and Chamber Award for this role.

In 1984, he won the Kerala Film Chamber Award for Best Actor for the film Ithiri Poove Chuvanna Poove.

Rahman won the Trendsetter Award in Malayalam cinema at the Etisalat Everest Film awards held in Dubai in 2007. The public voted for Rahman from nominees including Kamal Haasan, Sreedevi, Manju Warrier and Nadhiya.

Rahman's Malayalam film Manjadikkuru, directed by Anjali Menon, won two awards at the 2008 International Film Festival in Kerala. Kerala State Film Awards: Second Best Actor – Koodevide (1983) Kerala Film Critics Award for Second Best Actor – Ithiri Poove Chuvanna Poove (1984) Kerala Film Chamber Award for Best Actor – Ithiri Poove Chuvanna Poove (1984) Award for Trendsetter in the history of Malayalam cinema's 78 years at the Etisalat Everest Film awards held in Dubai - (2007) Padmarajan Award for Lifetime Achievement – (2015) Asianet Film Award for Best Actor in Negative Role – Ranam (2018)

Filmography

Malayalam

+ List of Rahman Malayalam film credits Year Title Character Notes 1983 Koodevide Ravi Puthooran 1984 Kaliyil Alpam Karyam Babu Ithiri Poove Chuvannapoove Unni Kanamarayathu Baby Parannu Parannu Parannu Emil Ariyaatha Veethikal Babu Uyarangalil Chandran Adiyozhukkukal Chandran Aduthaduthu Raju Ivide Thudhagunnu Babu 1985 Kandu Kandarinju Kunjunni Angadikkappurathu Charley Upaharam Ajit Chandran Ee Lokam Evide Kure Manushyar Balu Orikkal Oridathu Sethu Ivide Ee Theerathu Gopinath Ente Kaanakkuyil Suresh Koodum Thedi Rex Katha Ithuvare Vinayan Thammil Thammil Vivek Eeran Sandhya Raju Gaayathridevi Ente Amma Appu Ee Thanalil Ithiri Nerum Ravi Punnaram Cholli Cholli Biju 1986 Vartha Unnikrishnan Aayiram Kannukal Band Troupe Singer Cameo Ennu Nathante Nimmi Nathan Chilambu Paramu Poomukhappadiyil Ninneyum Kaathu Sanjay / Sanju Koodanayum Kattu Tommy Pappan Priyappetta Pappan Pappan Kariyilakkattupole Anil Kumar Onnam Prathi Olivil - 1987 Ithrayum Kalam Pappachan Aankiliyude Tharattu Babu 1988 Moonnam Pakkam Lopez Mukthi Sudhakaran 1989 Charithram Raju Manavalan / Albert Dual role Kaalal Pada Sunny 1992 Apaaratha Prathapan 1995 Mazhavilkoodaram Jithin Babu 2000 Dreamz Peter 2004 Black Ashok Srinivas 2005 Rajamanikyam Raju 2006 Mahha Samudram Rarichan Bhargava Charitham Moonam Khandam Vinod 2007 Rock & Roll Henry Goal Vijay Nanma Nakulan Abraham & Lincoln Lincoln George 2008 Veruthe Oru Bharya SP Sudeep 2009 Kerala Cafe / Island Express Ranji Bharya Onnu Makkal Moonnu Raju Moss & Cat Sumesh Vasudev 2011 Traffic Sidharth Shankar 2012 Manjadikuru Raghu Maaman Bachelor Party Benny 2013 Musafir Humayoon/Musafir Mumbai Police Commissioner Farhan Aman 2015 Lavender Ayaan/Ajay 2016 Marupadi Eby 2018 Ranam Damodar Ratnam 2019 Virus Dr. Rahim 2023 Samara Antony 2024 Bad Boyz Mekkattukulam Antappan 2026 Anomie Gibran Drishyam 3 Cameo appearance

Tamil

+ List of Rahman Tamil film credits Year Film Role Notes 1986 Nilave Malare Vijay Kanne Kaniyamuthe Peraka Vasantha Raagam Raghu 1987 Meendum Mahaan Raghu Anbulla Appa Madhu 1988 Oruvar Vazhum Aalayam Jeeva 1989 Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal Mani Bharathi 1990 Aarathi Edungadi Kannan Pattikattan Muthuraasa Pagalil Pournami Rajasekar's brother Pattanamdhan Pokalamadi Balu Manaivi Vantha Neram Sudhakar Seetha Vijay Puriyaadha Pudhir Raghu credited as Raghu 1991 Pudhiya Raagam Raja Nee Pathi Naan Pathi Nandha Paattondru Ketten Raghu 1992 Thambi Pondatti Somu Naane Varuven Raja Mappillai Vanthachu Ranga 1993 Pon Vilangu Raghu Athma Raghu Udan Pirappu Viji Karuppu Vellai Surya 1994 Athiradi Padai Saatha Hero Ramu 1995 Paattu Padava Rishi Dear Son Maruthu Maruthu 1996 Kalki Paranjothi Vasantham Ganesh 1999 Suryodayam Bala Sangamam Selvam 2001 Ninaikkatha Naalillai Arun 2004 Ethiri Raghavan 2005 Raam Umar 2006 Thoothukudi Lingam Kasu Karan 2007 Billa Jagdish / Gokulnath Kuttrapathirikai Arun 2009 Balam Abhishek Vaamanan John Vijay 2011 Vandhan Vendran Commissioner of Mumbai Lathika Anthony 2012 Billa II Jagdish 2013 Singam II Thangaraj 2014 Ennamo Nadakkudhu Burma 2015 En Vazhi Thani Vazhi Thangaraj 36 Vayadhinile Tamizhselvan 2016 Kuttrame Thandanai Vijay Prakash Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru Deepak 2017 Pagadi Aattam Devendrakumar Oru Mugathirai Sathyamoorthy Rathnavel Sathura Adi 3500 Police inspector 2019 Seven Vijay Prakash 2022 Ponniyin Selvan: I Madhurantakan 2023 Ponniyin Selvan: II 2024 Anjaamai Adv. Manikkam Nirangal Moondru Vasanth

Telugu

Hindi + Year Title Role Notes 2023 Ganapath Shiva

Web series Year Title Role Notes 2024 1000 Babies Aji Kurian Disney+ Hotstar 2010Super JodiJudge MalayalamSurya TV2013 Jagritha MalayalamKairali TV