Sivakumar Palakrishnan

Sivakumar Palakrishnan is a Singaporean actor, producer, and director. He is known for his lead role in A Yellow Bird, which premiered at Cannes Critics' Week, and for his performances in Mediacorp television dramas including Tanglin and Sunny Side Up. He won the ASEAN Film Award for Best Actor in 2017 and was a National Winner at the Asian Academy Creative Awards in 2025.

Career Sivakumar has appeared in numerous productions across film, television, and theatre in Singapore. His work spans English-, Tamil-, and Mandarin-language productions across mainstream television and independent film in Singapore.

In film, he starred as **Siva** in A Yellow Bird (2016), a Singapore–French co-production directed by K. Rajagopal that premiered in Cannes Critics’ Week. His performance was recognised with the ASEAN Film Award for Best Actor in 2017. He later appeared in the psychological drama Repossession (2019), and in the comedy-drama #LookAtMe (2022).

On television, Sivakumar was part of the long-running Channel 5 drama Tanglin, and appeared in Vasantham and Channel 5 programmes such as Sunny Side Up (2022–2024), Reunion (2021), Naam (2022), and Folklore (2018) on HBO Asia.

In addition to acting, Sivakumar has directed programmes for Mediacorp and independent platforms. He directed the short film Fiona, My Friend (2020) for Viddsee Originals, and was credited as director for the Vasantham television comedy series Thiru Valluvan (2011).

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 2006 Naalai Singapore Siva Credited appearance (end credits at 2:05:18 of official YouTube video) 2016 A Yellow Bird Siva Lead role; screened at Cannes Critics’ Week 2019 Repossession Vinod 2022 #LookAtMe The Warden

Television Year(s) Title Role Notes 2017–2018 Tanglin – Channel 5 drama 2022–2024 Sunny Side Up – Mediacorp Vasantham 2021 Reunion – Vasantham mini-series 2022 Naam – Vasantham drama 2018 Folklore (ep. "Nobody") Arup HBO Asia series

Directing Fiona, My Friend (2020) – short film, Viddsee Originals Thiru Valluvan (2011) – Vasantham comedy series (credited as director)

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result Ref 2017 ASEAN International Film Festival & Awards Best Actor A Yellow Bird Won 2011 Pradhana Vizha Best Actor Veethi Varai Won 2022 Pradhana Vizha Best Supporting Actor (Limited Drama Series) Kalaiyarasi Vayadhu 47, Vaagana Ottunar Won 2025 Asian Academy Creative Awards (Singapore National Winner) Best Actor in a Comedy Role Kaathu Karuppu Won 2026 Pradhana Vizha Best Actor Kaathu Karuppu Nominated 2026 Pradhana Vizha Best Supporting Actor Pithamagan Nominated