Manikandan | |
---|---|
Born | [1] | 29 November 1983
Other names | Boys Manikandan |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active |
|
Manikanda is an Indian actor who appears in Tamil language films. He has acted in films including Boys (2003) and Kicha Vayasu 16 (2005). He had a career resurgence with Maharaja (2024).
Manikandan, a visual communications graduate who had featured in Kala's dance troupe doing stage shows, was selected by Shankar to feature in his coming-of-age film Boys after impressing in auditions. [2] [3] He shot for the film throughout 2002 alongside fellow debutants Siddharth, Genelia D'Souza, Bharath, Nakul and Thaman. [4] The story centerd on six youngsters, conveying a message about the importance of good education and career over distractions, such as romance and sex, and marked a move away from Shankar's usual brand of vigilante films, gaining much publicity prior to release. [5] The film opened to mixed reviews but became successful at the box office, with reviewers noting the ensemble cast as "excellent". [6] [7] In the following years, while the other five debut actors have been successful, Manikandan has struggled to receive acclaim and feature in high-profile films. [8]
Notably, director Shankar revealed that Manikandan was edged by Bharath to star in Balaji Sakthivel's Kaadhal (2004), which had won Bharath significant acclaim. [9] Manikandan subsequently received offers to feature as the lead actor in Kadhal FM (2005) and then alongside Simran in Kicha Vayasu 16 , but both films were low key releases and fared poorly at the box office. [3] [10] He missed opportunities to act in Thenmerku Paruvakaatru (2010) and Soodhu Kavvum (2013), which catapulted Vijay Sethupathi to stardom. [11] He has since starred in several low-budget films, including Gurusamy and Kaadhal 2014 . [12]
Manikandan made his acting comeback in 2023 with Adhik Ravichandran's directorial films Bagheera and Mark Antony . In 2024, he received high praise from film critics for his portrayal of Dhana, one of the villains, in the revenge film Maharaja .
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2003 | Boys | Kumar | |
2005 | Kadhal FM | Manikandan | |
Kicha Vayasu 16 | Kicha | ||
2006 | Yuga | Rishi | |
2010 | Bayam Ariyaan | Pazham | |
Moscowin Kavery | Moscow's friend | ||
2011 | Gurusamy | Subramani | |
2014 | Kaadhal 2014 | Kumar | |
2023 | Bagheera | Police Officer | |
Mark Antony | Kumar | ||
2024 | Maharaja | Dhana |