Saravanan

Saravanan is an Indian actor who has appeared in Tamil-language films. He made his acting debut through Vaidhehi Vanthachu, where he portrayed the lead role. He continued to play the lead roles in films throughout the 1990s, later turning into a producer and director for his films. After a sabbatical, Saravanan made a comeback through Paruthiveeran (2007) in a supporting role. and has since continued to play character roles in Tamil films

Early life and family Saravanan was born into a Tamil family in Salem and was the second of five children. His father was a police inspector and his mother was a staff nurse. Saravanan obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Tamil Literature from the Government Arts College, Salem.

Saravanan has been married twice. His first marriage was to Suryashree, a Telugu woman with whom he studied in Adyar Film Institute. In an episode of Bigg Boss Tamil 3, he opened up on his second marriage and that it was his first wife who accepted the second marriage as they wanted a child.

Career Saravanan had an interest in Tamil films as a child and regularly took part in performance arts during school. He visited the sets of a film being shot in Salem by director M. Sivachandran and requested him for an opportunity to act in his films. He consequently became acquainted with Sivachandran and his then-wife, Lakshmi, and the pair were keen to launch him as an actor opposite Lakshmi's daughter Aishwarya, but the plans did not materialise. Saravanan then moved to Chennai and completed a course in acting at the Adyar Film Institute. While on campus, he was spotted by director Radha Bharathi, who offered him the chance to be a part of the film Vaidehi Vandhachu (1991). Saravanan subsequently played a series of the lead role in films in the 1990s, but his career came to a halt in the latter end of the decade. Towards the end of the first phase of his career, he produced two of his films Vishwanath (1996) and Santosham (1998). Though Santhosam did well at the box office, still, he incurred losses as a producer which led him to take a long break from acting. He organised concerts abroad to clear the losses. In 2001, Saravanan appeared in a negative role in Bala's Nandhaa, winning critical acclaim, but did not appear in any other roles at the time. He also directed, Thayumanavan (2003) in an attempt to get his career back on track however the film went unnoticed.

He went on to make a comeback in Ameer Sultan's Paruthiveeran (2007) playing the paternal uncle of the character portrayed by Karthi, and won critical acclaim for his performance. A critic from Rediff.com noted "Saravanan excels and doesn't look like someone back from a long break", while Sify.com's reviewer stated his performance as the "wayward uncle with a heart of gold is terrific". Saravanan was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actor and also received a nomination in the same category for the Vijay Awards. The success of Paruthiveeran subsequently triggered more offers for the actor including the opportunity to be a part of Sanjay Ram's biopic, Veeramum Eeramum (2007), based on the real life of Venkatesa Pannaiyar. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, Saravanan continued to play supporting roles in Tamil films, sometimes appearing in negative roles.

His supporting roles in Enakku Innoru Per Irukku (2016), Kadaikutty Singam (2018) and Kolamavu Kokila (2019), among others won him praise.

On 23 June 2019, he entered the reality television show Bigg Boss Tamil 3 hosted by Kamal Haasan on Star Vijay. He was ejected from the show after making controversial remarks on a televised show, where he admitted to harassing women on public transport during his youth.

He started season 2 of the series Suzhal: The Vortex (2025).

Filmography Year Film Role Notes 1991 Vaidehi Vanthachu Karuppa 1992 Pondatti Rajyam Krishnan Abhirami Saravanan 1993 Maamiyar Veedu Aravind Suriyan Chandiran Marudhu Pettredutha Pillai Kumar Nallathe Nadakkum Prakash Parvathi Ennai Paradi Siva Akkarai Cheemayile Prakash Muthupandi Muthupandi 1994 Veettai Paaru Naattai Paaru Siva Sevatha Ponnu Chellappa Thaai Manasu Chinna Marudhu 1996 Thirumbi Paar Veeraiyan Vishwanath Vishwanath Also producer 1997 Thambi Durai Thambi Durai 1998 Santosham Indran Also producer Ponmaanai Thedi Sundaram 2001 Nandhaa Durai 2003 Thayumanavan Senbagapandian &Duraipandian Double role Also director2007 Paruthiveeran Chevvaazhai Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – TamilNominated, Vijay Award for Best Supporting Actor Veeramum Eeramum Shankar Ayya 2009 Azhagar Malai Special appearance 2009 Pinju Manasu Thulasi 2010 Vilai DCP Shanmugavel 2011 Thambi Vettothi Sundaram Salai Gurusamy Karuppu Sami Special appearance 2012 Orange Thevar Malayalam film 2013 Alex Pandian Parthiban Keeripulla Naaga 2014 Aranmanai Ayyanar 2016 Meenakshi Kadhalan Elangovan A. Saamy Sowkarpettai Senior Enakku Innoru Per Irukku "Naina" Doss 2017 Pandigai Muni 2018 Kadaikutty Singam Thamarai Manala Sendayar Kolamavu Kokila Guru 2019 Oviyavai Vitta Yaru Annachi 100 Ganesh 2021 3:33 Kathir's fatherKaayam Anandham Vilayadum Veedu Kasi 2022 Marutha Maruthapandi Gargi Saravanan 2023 Naan Kadavul Illai Veerappan Jailer Seenu Vivasayi Ennum Naan Kapil Returns Aayiram Porkaasukal Animuthu 2024 Kumbaari Lover Arun's father Pambattam Turbo CM Arivazhagan Malayalam filmRaayan Durai Sir Ponnarasan Iravinil Aatam Par 2025 Kuzhanthaigal Munnetra Kazhagam Thotram Thalaivan Thalaivii Sembaiyya Kumaara Sambavam Mirage Rajkumar Malayalam filmKutram Thavir Manivasagam 2026 With Love Swaminathan Police Family Dhana Lakshmikanthan Kolai Vazhakku Sargunam

Television Year Programme / Show Role Channel Notes 2019 Bigg Boss Tamil 3 ContestantEjected (Day 44) Star Vijay Reality TV Series 2023 Mahanadhi Santhanam Star Vijay Special appearance 2025 Suzhal: The Vortex Inspector Moorthy Amazon Prime Video Season 2Sattamum NeethiyumSundaramoorthyZEE5