Ashok Kumar (Tamil actor)
Ashok Kumar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Ashok Kumar Balakrishnan India |
| Other names | Muruga Ashok |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1993; 2007–present |
Ashok Kumar Balakrishnan[1] is an Indian actor who has appeared in predominantly Tamil films.[2]
Career
[edit]Originally from Thanjavur district, Ashok Kumar grew up in Mumbai. He was a Bharatanatyam dancer and won the Nrithyamayoor (transl. Dancing Peacock) Award from the Government of Maharashtra. He played Krishna in the Hindi television serial Krishna (1993-97). His film debut but was supposed to be Dishyum (2006), but he was subsequently removed from the film and replaced by Jiiva.[3] He then made his feature film debut with R. T. Neason's Muruga (2007) and starred in Pidichirukku the following year.[4] He made a special appearance as a Tamil actor in a song from the Malayalam film Mulla (2008).[5] Ashok made his Telugu debut with the bilingual Kaki (2015), which was made by Vetrimaaran's assistant director.[6] The film was released in Tamil two years later as Ka Ka Ka: Aabathin Arikuri (2017).[7]
In 2019, he appeared in the multi-starrer movies such as Chithiram Pesuthadi 2 and Gangs of Madras.[8][9] He also acted in the Malaysian film Unakkagathane released in 2020.[10] He was seen in the crime series Kuruthi Kalam (2021) which was released on MX Player.[11]
In 2022, Ashok Kumar was seen successively in horror films such as Vidiyatha Iravondru Vendum, Bestie, and Mayathirai. In 2023, he was appeared in the action thriller, Vizhithelu.[12]
In 2024, he was appeared in the drama thriller E-mail.[13] as well as part of a Kannada project called Sambhavami Yuge Yuge,[14] and the fantasy thriller, Maya Puthagam.[3] In 2025, Ashok Kumar starred in Lara (2025).[15]
Filmography
[edit]Films
[edit]- All films are in Tamil, unless otherwise noted.
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Muruga | Murugan | |
| 2008 | Pidichirukku | Velu | [16] |
| Mulla | Himself | Malayalam film; cameo appearance | |
| 2012 | Kozhi Koovuthu | Kumaresan | [17] |
| 2013 | Vetkathai Kettal Enna Tharuvaai | Shiva | [18] |
| 2014 | Kadhal Solla Aasai | Mahesh | [17] |
| 2015 | Kaki | Karthik | Telugu film |
| 2017 | Ka Ka Ka: Aabathin Arikuri | Karthik | |
| 2019 | Chithiram Pesuthadi 2 | Salim | |
| Gangs of Madras | Ibrahim | ||
| 2020 | Unakkagathane | Ashok Singh | Malaysian film |
| 2022 | Vidiyatha Iravondru Vendum | Kathir | |
| Bestie | Ashok | ||
| Mayathirai | Jeeva | ||
| 4554 | Karthi | ||
| Therkathi Veeran | |||
| 2023 | Vizhithelu | ||
| Priyamudan Priya | Markendya | ||
| Are You Ok Baby? | Thyagi | ||
| 2024 | Abhi | ||
| Sambhavami Yuge Yuge | Krishna | Kannada film | |
| Maya Puthagam | Guru | ||
| 2025 | Lara | Maharoof |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Language | Channel | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Shri Krishna | Child Krishna | Hindi | DD National | Debut TV show Best Child Actor Award |
[1] |
| 2021 | Kuruthi Kalam | Item Kumar | Tamil | MX Player | ||
| 2024 - present | Mounam Pesiyadhe | Shiva | Tamil | Zee Tamil |
References
[edit]- ^ "'4554' is a tribute to dedicated drivers, says actor Ashok Kumar- Exclusive!". The Times of India. 11 November 2022. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ a b "I would never take on a project just for the heck of it, says Ashok Kumar". The Times of India. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
- ^ "My First Break -- Ashok Kumar". The Hindu. 1 May 2009. Archived from the original on 4 May 2009.
- ^ "Mulla review. Mulla Malayalam movie review, story, rating". IndiaGlitz.com.
- ^ "Vetrimaaran heaps praises on his protégé". Deccan Chronicle. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
- ^ "கா கா கா ஆபத்தின் அறிகுறி [Ka Ka Ka: Aabathin Arikuri]". Maalai Malar (in Tamil). 28 September 2017. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ "Chithiram Pesuthadi 2 Review".
- ^ "Gangs Of Madras Movie Review: CV Kumar's Second Film Is A Pretty Decent Heroine-oriented Thriller".
- ^ "Unakkagathane".
- ^ "Kuruthi Kalam - An MX Original Series".
- ^ "'Vizhithelu' is an awareness film, says director Tamilchelvan - Exclusive".
- ^ "E-mail Movie Review : A guilty pleasure among guilty pleasures that feels like a poorly written email".
- ^ "I would never take on a project just for the heck of it, says Ashok Kumar".
- ^ "Lara Movie Review : A coastal mystery, more murky than deep". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
- ^ "Seemingly endless search -- Pidichirukku". The Hindu. 10 October 2016 [18 January 2008]. Archived from the original on 5 November 2018.
- ^ a b Sharanya CR (21 February 2017). "Creating awareness through his short film". The Times of India.
- ^ "Thabu Shankar lists out his favourites!". 15 January 2017 – via The Economic Times - The Times of India.
External links
[edit]- Ashok Kumar at IMDb