Vinay Forrt

Vinay Kumar (born 13 January 1983), professionally credited as Vinay Forrt is an Indian film and stage actor. He is from Fort Kochi, Kerala and has a postgraduate in acting from Film and Television Institute of India in Pune. He made his cinematic debut in the Malayalam film Ritu.

Early life and education

Vinay Forrt was born as Vinay Kumar in Fort Kochi, Kerala, to M. V. Mani and Sujatha. He has a sister, Suma, and a brother, Syam. He was educated at St John De Britto Anglo-Indian High School, Fort Kochi and Aquinas College, Edacochin. The name 'Forrt', in his stage name stands for Fort Kochi, which is his birthplace.

Before entering the movie industry, he worked at a restaurant, a coffee shop, medical shop and a call center. During his first year while studying for his degree, he joined Lokadharmi Theater and became active in their plays. Later he dropped out to join the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune, India, and became a postgraduate in acting. Vinay received the National Scholarship from the Government of India for the Best Senior Theatre Actor (2004 - 2006). He is a contemporary dancer as well.

Acting career

While studying at the Film and Television Institute, Vinay Forrt was chosen by Shyamaprasad to play a role in his film Ritu (2009), where he debuted as a gay person, which earned him recognition.

He costarred in The Blueberry Hunt (2011), an English film by Anup Kurian with Naseeruddin Shah in the lead. He played a notable role in Navagatharkku Swagatham (2012). The film was a failure at box office. Vinay went on to play minor roles in several movies. He was noted for his role as Nanmayil Suran in Shutter (2012). The film was a critical and commercial success and was screened at various International film festivals. Vinay played a supporting role in the 2014 thriller 7th Day.

Vinay posted Vimal Sir in Alphonse Putharen's Premam. This role with a comic shade earned him wide recognition and some of his dialogues from the movie eventually developed a cult following. He played a lead role in the 2015 comedy thriller Urumbukal Urangarilla which received positive and mixed reviews. Vinay went on to be in movies including Kohinoor (2015) Kammatti Paadam, Kismath (2016) and God Say (2017). He played a lead role in Hello Namasthe (2016), which was a failure at box office. He had a major supporting role in Georgettans Pooram and Role Models, both released in 2017.

Vinay had the lead role in Thamasha (2019). He portrayed Srinivasan, a Malayalam professor unable to find a suitable woman to marry. Some critics reviewed it as one of his best performances. Vinay played a lead role in the satire Paapam Cheyyathavar Kalleriyatte (2020). The movie generally received positive reviews from critics. His comic role as Kripesh/Akash Menon in Mohan Kumar Fans (2021) was well received. Vinay's performance as David Chistudas, a friend-turned-foe of the protagonist in Mahesh Narayanan's Malik (2021) received wide appreciation from critics. Some consider this one of his best performances.

Personal life He married his longtime girlfriend Soumya Ravi, a research student, on 6 December 2014 at Guruvayoor. The couple have a son.

Filmography Films

Year Title Role Notes 2009 Ritu Jamal 2010 Apoorvaragam Narayanan Anwar Abu Kadaksham Abhay The Blueberry Hunt 2011 Veettilekulla Vazhi Terrorist Leader in Ajmeer Kanakompathu Jose Veeraputhran Karmayogi Kooman Navagatharkku Swagatham Aravindan 2012 Prabhuvinte Makkal Siddharthan Theevram Ramachandran Da Thadiya Shathanu Shutter Nanmayil Suran 2014 7th Day Shan Shahar How Old Are You Jayachandran Manglish Ambu Masala Republic Dixon Seconds Feroze 2015 Njan Ninnodu Koodeyundu Premam Vimal 'Java' Sir Karma Cartel Sidth Rasputin Susheelan Urumbukal Urangarilla Manoj Kohinoor Freddy 2016 Hello Namasthe RJ Madhav Kammatti Paadam Venu Kismath Ajay C Menon 2017 God Say Harichandran Avarude Raavukal Vijay Georgettans Pooram Vava Role Models Subahaan Kadam Kadha Giri Pai History of Joy Krishna Clint Artist Mohan Oru Visheshapetta Biriyani Kissa Superior Angel 2018 Ladoo Vinu Janaki Nonsense Santhosh Kammara Sambhavam Chandrabanu 2019 Thamaasha Sreenivasan Unda S. I. Balan Vaarthakal Ithuvare Mathews Oronnonnara Pranayakadha 2020 Paapam Cheyyathavar Kalleriyatte Roy 2021 Churuli Shajeevan Mohan Kumar Fans Kripesh / Aghosh Menon Malik David Kristhudas Kanakam Kaamini Kalaham Jobby 2023 Kolla C.I. Farooq Ramachandra Boss & Co Sailesh P Damodar Vaathil Somante Krithavu Soman Family Sony 2024 Aattam Vinay Perumani Big Ben Chithini 2025 Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira Siby The Pet Detective Rajath Menon 2026 Mohiniyaattam CI Parthan Bethlehem Kudumba Unit Alex Pradhama Drishtiya Kuttakkar Unreleased

Television

Awards