Neeraj Madhav

Neeraj Madhav
Neeraj in 2015
Born (1990-03-26) 26 March 1990 (age 34)[1][2]
Alma mater
Occupations
Years active2013–present
Spouse
Deepthi Janardhan
(m. 2018)
Children1

Neeraj Madhav (born 26 March 1990), is an Indian actor and rapper who predominantly works in Malayalam film industry [3]

Early life

Neeraj was born on 26 March 1990, in Kozhikode, Kerala into a Malayali family.[4] He did his schooling from St. Joseph's Boys' Higher Secondary School, Kozhikode. Then graduated in Visual communications from SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kanchipuram and later did post-graduation in Theatre from School of Drama and Fine Arts, Thrissur. His father Dr. K. Madhavan is a veterinarian, and his mother Latha, a teacher.

The young talent started off as a dancer with the first edition of reality television programme ‘Super Dancer’ on Amrita TV and made it to the final round. Neeraj is also a trained Bharatanatyam dancer, having learned it under Kalamandalam Saraswathy and her daughter, Aswathy. He is also trained in chenda and is a disciple of Kalanilayam Udayan Namboodiri.

Neeraj has a younger brother Navneeth Madhav, another dancer turned actor in the family. He has acted in films such as Shikkar, Kottarathil Kutty Bhootham,Nallavan and Manikyakkallu and TV series such as Kuttichathan.[3]

Career

Neeraj made his entry to the Malayalam cinema industry through Raaj Prabavathy Menon's Buddy into which he was selected through an audition. He was later noticed by director Jeethu Joseph and was invited to be a part of his movies Memories and Drishyam, both turned out to be box office successes, with the latter becoming the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever. Meanwhile, Neeraj also acted in Abrid Shine's 1983 and Sathyan Anthikad's Oru Indian Pranayakadha.[3]

Anil Radhakrishnan Menon's Sapthamashree Thaskaraha, in which Neeraj plays one of the lead characters alongside Prithviraj, Anoop Kannan's Homely Meals and Apothecary (film) - a medical drama directed by Madhav Ramadasan are also other noted performances of the actor.[3][5]

Neeraj also debuted as an official dance choreographer through Oru Vadakkan Selfie, scripted by Vineeth Sreenivasan and directed by G. Prajith, with the hit song "Enne Thallendammava".[6][7] His other releases in 2015 also include Jamna Pyari, Kunjiramayanam, Madhura Naranga, KL.10 Pathu, Charlie and Adi Kapyare Kootamani.[8]

The movie Oozham, which has Prithviraj in the lead, has Neeraj in a full-length role.[9] Neeraj also portrayed a pivotal role in Tom Emmatty's Oru Mexican Aparatha.

Neeraj debuted as a screenplay writer through the movie Lavakusha in 2017 and also played one of the title characters in this along with Aju Varghese.

Neeraj plays his first lead role in the movie Paippin Chuvattile Pranayam. It was directed by debutant Domin D'Silva. In the movie, he portrays Govindankutty, a daily wage labourer.

In 2019, Neeraj starred as the main antagonist, Moosa Rehman in the Amazon Original web series titled The Family Man, helmed and produced by director duo Raj and DK. The series also stars Manoj Bajpayee, Priyamani and Kishore in major roles.

In July 2020, he released a rap song titled "Pani Paali". it depicts certain common events in the lives of common people during the COVID-19 pandemic. The song went viral in a very short period of time and was a huge hit among Malayalees and also around other parts of the globe. It also introduced rap music to a more mainstream audience.[10]

Personal life

Neeraj is the son of Dr. K. Madhavan and Latha Madhavan. He married his long time girlfriend Deepthi who is also a native of Kozhikode, on April 2, 2018. The couple have a daughter born in 2021.[11][12]

Filmography

Key
Denotes films that have not yet been released
  • All films are in Malayalam language unless otherwise noted.

Films

Year Title Role Notes
2013 Buddy Govindh
Memories Mechanic
Drishyam Monichan
Oru Indian Pranayakadha Charlie
2014 1983 Prahladan [3][13]
Apothecary Shenoy
Sapthamashree Thaskaraha Narayanankutti
Homely Meals Arun
2015 Mariyam Mukku Dennis [3][13]
Oru Vadakkan Selfie[6] Thankaprasad/Thankamma
Madhura Naranga Kumar
KL.10 Pathu Aftab/Appu
Just Married Riyaz
Jamna Pyari Tony Kurishinkal
Kunjiramayanam Kanjuttan
Charlie Ansari
Adi Kapyare Kootamani Remo
2016 Oozham Ajmal [9]
2017 Oru Mexican Aparatha Subhash
Lavakusha Lavan Also writer
Paipin Chuvattile Pranayam Govutty/Govindankutty
2018 Rosapoo Ambros [14]
2019 Allu Ramendran Neeraj Madhav Cameo
2020 Gauthamante Radham Gauthaman
2022 Sundari Gardens Victor Paul Sony Liv film[15]
Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu Sridharan Tamil film, also singer
An Action Hero Sai Hindi, Cameo appearance
2023 Enkilum Chandrike Auto Driver Abhishek Cameo appearance in the Climax portion
RDX: Robert Dony Xavier Xavier Lead role
2024 Varshangalkku Shesham Fearless Alex [16]

Web series

Year Title Role Language Notes
2019 The Family Man: Season 1 Moosa Rehman Hindi Amazon Prime Video[17]
2021 Feels Like Ishq Rajeev Netflix
2024 Showtime Satya Krishnan Disney+Hotstar[18]

Other works

As choreographer

Year Album Song Music Director
2015 Oru Vadakkan Selfie Enne Thallendammava[6] Shaan Rahman

Discography

Year Song Notes Ref.
2020 Jungle Speaks Debut EP
Music production by RZEE
[19]
Panipaali Music production by Arcado [20]
Akkarappacha Music production by Young H [21]
Wish Extended play [22]
Hope Extended play
Fly Extended play
2021 First Love feat Siddharth Menon
Music production by Arcado
Namma Stories Netflix Originals [23]
Panipaali 2 Music production by Arcado
2022 ARPO Music production by Hrishi
Porattam - RAP Song Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu ; also lyricist

Awards and nominations

Asianet Film Awards

Asiavision Awards

  • 2015 – Won – New Sensation in Acting (Male) for performance in various movies[24]

North American Film Awards

  • 2016 – Special mention by the jury for performance in various movies
  • 2017 – Special mention by the jury for performance in Paippin Chuvattile Pranayam

References

  1. ^ "Neeraj Madhav celebrates first birthday as father, see pics".
  2. ^ "This is how Neeraj Madhav celebrated his birthday amid lockdown - Times of India". The Times of India. 27 March 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Sathyendran, Nita (24 April 2015). "Making the right moves". The Hindu. Thiruvananthapuram, India.
  4. ^ "Neeraj Madhav's wedding pictures are out". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  5. ^ "The Taste of Success - Deccan Chronicle".[dead link]
  6. ^ a b c "Neeraj is now officially a choreographer". The Times of India. Kochi, India. 1 March 2015.
  7. ^ "Holding a mirror to one's self". The Hindu. Thiruvananthapuram, India. 8 January 2015.
  8. ^ "Neeraj Madhav on a spree". Malayala Manorama. Thiruvananthapuram, India. 23 July 2015.
  9. ^ a b "Jeethu cast Neeraj when they met at a college". The Times of India. Kochi, India. 11 February 2016.
  10. ^ S, Harikumar J. (3 July 2020). "Actor Neeraj Madhav's new rap song 'Panipaali' is turning a funky earworm". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  11. ^ ManoramaOnline Reporter (23 February 2021). "നീരജ് മാധവിനും ദീപ്തിക്കും പെൺകുഞ്ഞ്". Malayala Manorama. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  12. ^ DNA Web Team (23 February 2021). "'The Family Man' actor Neeraj Madhav, wife Deepthi Janardhan welcome a baby girl". DNA. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  13. ^ a b "The next funny man". The New Indian Express. Kochi, India. 28 October 2014.
  14. ^ Nair, Vinod (9 February 2018). "Rosapoo movie review highlights: A lacklustre black co". Times of India. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  15. ^ "Neeraj Madhav and Aparna Balamurali's Sundari Gardens to release on this OTT platform". Cinema Express.
  16. ^ "'Varshangalkku Shesham': Vineeth Sreenivasan brings together an ensemble cast for his next". The Hindu. 13 July 2023. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  17. ^ "'My character is crucial and tricky', says Neeraj Madhav". India Today. 28 September 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  18. ^ Features, C. E. (28 February 2024). "New song 'Class' from Emraan Hashmi's Showtime out". Cinema Express. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  19. ^ "Neeraj Madhav's rap series is whimsical and thought-provoking - Times of India". The Times of India. 13 May 2020.
  20. ^ TNM Staff (29 June 2020). "Watch: Actor Neeraj Madhav's 'Panipaali' rap is a fun song". www.thenewsminute.com. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  21. ^ "Neeraj Madhav's new rap song is 'Akkarappacha' - Times of India". The Times of India. 7 September 2020.
  22. ^ "Wish, Hope and Fly reveal how I deal with my inner conflicts: Neeraj Madhav - Times of India". The Times of India. 10 October 2020.
  23. ^ "Watch: Netflix's new song 'Namma Stories' features Arivu, Neeraj Madhav and others". 8 July 2021.
  24. ^ "Asiavision Awards 2015". International Business Times. Thiruvananthapuram, India. 18 November 2015.