// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Shivajith say to the pizza? "Shiva got a slice.
Shivajith | |
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| Years active | 2016–present |
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Shivajith is an Indian actor who works primarily in South Indian cinema.
Early life
[edit]Shivajith was born in Thalavil, a village in the Kannur district of Kerala, India, to Padmanabhan and M. R. Madanavalli.[1] He has a younger sister, Shijina Padmanabhan.[citation needed]
From childhood, he trained in Kathakali, Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi, and learned to play the mridangam.[1] He won the title of "Kalaprathibha" at the Kerala State Youth Festival (now the Kerala School Kalolsavam) in both 1998 and 1999, a consecutive win that set a new record at the event.[2] [citation needed]
Career
[edit]Debut and breakthrough
[edit]Shivajith's route into acting was a long one; a 2017 Mathrubhumi profile described roughly fourteen years of trying to break into the industry before he was cast.[3] He made his acting debut in Jayaraj's period action drama Veeram (2016), playing the warrior Aromal Chekavar opposite Kunal Kapoor.[4] To prepare, he trained for two years in kalaripayattu, Kerala's traditional martial art, and his command of the form was widely noted as one of the film's strengths.[2][5] A supporting role followed in Ranam (2018), but no major part came immediately after.
His breakthrough arrived with Kalki (2019), in which he played Amarnath, the antagonist opposite Tovino Thomas. According to Shivajith, he pursued the part directly after seeing a casting call posted to Tovino Thomas's Instagram account, contacting the film's producer, Prashob Krishna - a former college junior of his - and putting himself forward for the role.[6] The performance drew significant attention from critics and audiences and established him as a recognisable screen villain in Malayalam cinema.[6]
Later career
[edit]Since Kalki, Shivajith has worked steadily across Malayalam cinema, including Backpackers (2020), Kurup (2021) and Kumari (2022). He subsequently expanded beyond Malayalam-language cinema, making his Tamil-language debut in Rudhran (2023) and his Telugu-language debut in The Volunteer (2025). His more recent credits include Once Upon a Time in Kochi (2024), ARM-Ajayante Randam Moshanam (2024), Pravinkoodu Shappu (2025), a dual role in Dominic Arun's Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra (2025), and Pennu Case (2026).
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Languages | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Veeram | Aromal Chekavar | Malayalam, Hindi, English | Debut film [7][8] |
| 2018 | Ranam | Rajan Nambiar | Malayalam | |
| 2019 | Kalki | Amarnath | Malayalam | [9][10][11] |
| 2020 | Backpackers | Kattoor Jolly | Malayalam | [15] |
| 2021 | Kurup | Sabu | Malayalam | [16] |
| 2022 | Kumari | Thuppan Thamburan | Malayalam | [17] |
| 2023 | Rudhran | Sashi | Tamil | Tamil debut |
| 2024 | Once Upon a Time in Kochi | Vinod | Malayalam | [18] |
| ARM | Kavumbayi Sudhakaran | [19] | ||
| 2025 | Pravinkoodu Shappu | Komban Babu | Malayalam | [20] |
| The Volunteer | Unknown | Telugu | ||
| Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra | King Senapathy and Gajendran | Malayalam | ||
| 2026 | Pennu Case | David | Malayalam | [21] |
| Khalifa: The Ruler | Vinayakan | Malayalam | [22] | |
References
[edit]- 1 2 Anand, Shilpa Nair (22 February 2017). "On becoming Aromal Chekavar". The Hindu.
- 1 2 "ആരോമല് ചേകവര് റിട്ടേണ്സ്". Mangalam (in Malayalam). Retrieved 16 May 2019.
- ↑ മുരളി, ശ്യാം (11 February 2017). "ആരോമല് ചേകവരാകാന് ശിവജിത്ത് കാത്തിരുന്നത് 14 വര്ഷം". Mathrubhumi (in Malayalam). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- ↑ "Veeram movie review: rediscovering Chandu, the cheat". OnManorama. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
- ↑ "Not shooting, but training for Veeram was the hardest". The New Indian Express. 9 February 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- 1 2 "Baddie cool". Deccan Chronicle. 9 August 2019.
- ↑ മുരളി, ശ്യാം (11 February 2017). "ആരോമല് ചേകവരാകാന് ശിവജിത്ത് കാത്തിരുന്നത് 14 വര്ഷം". Mathrubhumi. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- ↑ Shetty, Akshata (25 February 2017). "Veeram movie review: Jayaraj film starring Kunal Kapoor gets thumbs up from Twitterati!". India.com. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- ↑ "പോരിനൊരുങ്ങി കൽക്കിയിലെ നായകനും വില്ലനും ജിമ്മിൽ". News18 Malayalam. 27 July 2019.
- ↑ "'കല്കി'ക്കായി ടോവിനോ ഒരുങ്ങുന്നത് ഇങ്ങനെ". mediaone7. 21 July 2019.
- ↑ Mathews, Anna. "Build up to Kalki – Times of India". The Times of India.
- ↑ "Baddie cool". Deccan Chronicle. 9 August 2019.
- ↑ "Shivajith Padmanabhan in Kalki sends a shiver down your spine". The Times of India. 2 August 2019.
- ↑ "Kalki fame Shivajith Padmanabhan Dances on Badai Bungalow". The Times of India. 9 August 2019.
- ↑ "Jayaraj signs Kalidas Jayaram for 'Backpackers'". New Indianexpress. 9 September 2019.
- ↑ "Kurup teaser out: Dulquer Salmaan brings to life the infamous conman with style and swag". Cinema Express. 26 March 2021.
- ↑ "Shine Tom Chacko joins Aishwarya Lekshmi in Prithviraj Productions-backed 'Kumari'". 14 December 2021.
- ↑ "Once Upon A Time In Kochi Trailer Unveils A Tale Of Love, Revenge And Mystery". News18. 17 February 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ↑ "Fire breaks out on the sets of Tovino's Ajayante Randam Moshanam". Cinema Express. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ↑ "Pravinkoodu Shappu': First look posters of Basil Joseph". Cinema Express. 15 October 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ↑ Madhu, Vignesh (12 January 2026). "Pennu Case Movie Review: Nothing surprising about this con". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ↑ "Khalifa, starring Prithviraj Sukumaran, clears censorship formalities". Cinema Express. 14 August 2026. Retrieved 3 September 2026.