Rahul Ravindran

Rahul Ravindran is an Indian film actor who has appeared in Tamil, Telugu and English language films. He made his debut in the Tamil film Moscowin Kavery (2010), before playing leading roles as a man with cerebral palsy in Vinmeengal and as a mechanic in Soorya Nagaram. He has since gone on to make a career as a leading actor in the Telugu film industry.

Early life and family

Rahul Ravindran was born and brought up in Chennai, though his roots are from the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. After graduating from Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School he earned his bachelor's degree in commerce. He then went on to obtain a Masters in Business Management, and this was followed by a brief stay in Mumbai where he was an Assistant Brand Manager for a leading media company

Career

It was in Mumbai, while dining at a restaurant, that he got an offer to audition for an television commercial to be directed by Dibakar Banerjee of Khosla Ka Ghosla fame, and the success of that fetched him more commercials. During this period he was also dubbing in Tamil for cartoons and children's shows being aired on television channels, notably being the Tamil voice of the Red Ranger in Power Rangers - Mystic Force and the White Ranger in Power Rangers SPD.

He then quit his job and came back to Chennai to try to find work as an assistant director, but before he could do so Director Ravi Varman's team members saw his ad work and called him to audition for Moscowin Kavery.^[1] The film introduced a host of new actors including Samantha, with music carried out by Thaman, then making his debut in music composing. However, due to Ravi Varman's date conflicts with his projects as a cinematographer, the film languished in development hell, eventually releasing in August 2010.^[2] The film gained unanimously poor reviews from critics,^[3] with Rahul winning mixed reviews for his performance. While a critic from Behindwoods.com noted that "he looks every bit the suave software professional", other critics saying that his performance was "wooden" and that he "smiles too much and looks like he could do well, given the chance".^[4]

He was next seen in Vignesh Menon's Vinmeengal, where he played Jeeva, who is affected by cerebral palsy. The film which also featured Anuja Iyer, Bhavana Rao and Pandiarajan won above average reviews, with Rahul's performance being appreciated. The Indian Express cited that "Rahul brings out splendidly not just the physicality of his character, but also the emotional trauma", while Behindwoods.com noted that "the handsome Rahul Ravindran utilizes his opportunity and delivers the goods well."^[5][6] However, the critic from The Hindu noted "at times Rahul's trauma doesn't come out effectively, so you feel he could have done better".^[7] His third film, Chellamuthu's Soorya Nagaram opposite Meera Nandan faced a much smaller release and won average reviews from critics. Playing Vetrivel, a shop mechanic in Madurai, the film focussed on inter-caste marriage and parental opposition, with a critic citing that Rahul is "good and emotes well".^[8] Later in 2012, he featured in the Telugu film Andala Rakshasi, earning positive reviews for his performance and earning him further opportunities in the Telugu film industry.

In 2013, Rahul played a supporting role in the romantic comedy Vanakkam Chennai, featuring alongside Shiva and Priya Anand, with the film performing well at the box office. His Telugu releases in the year, Pelli Pustakam and Nenem…Chinna Pillana?, had significantly smaller budgets and did not fare as well.^[9] His 2014 release, Ala Ela became a sleeper hit at the box office, with the film earning audiences through positive word-of-mouth via social media.^[10]

Personal life

Rahul Ravindran is married to singer Chinmayi, whom he began dating in June 2013 after being introduced through mutual friends. He has a younger brother Rohit Ravindhran,who is a professional photographer.^[11]

Filmography

References