R. Sarathkumar

Sarathkumar Ramanathan is basically a powerhouse in South Indian cinema—actor, producer, politician, you name it. Born and raised in Chennai, he bounced around a few schools like Raja Muthiah and St. Patrick's, but it wasn’t all books for him. The guy was out there smashing it in cricket, football, hockey—heck, he was even an Air Wing Cadet in the NCC. After school, he did pre-university at Loyola, picked up a B.Sc. in Math from The New College, and somewhere along the way, got ripped enough to win Mr Madras University in 1974. Not your average start for a film star, right? His work life kicked off at Dinakaran newspaper in Bangalore, first as a distributor and then as a reporter. Bored of that? Maybe. He swung back to Chennai, started a travel agency, and thanks to Kannadasan’s nudge, jumped into producing films. Acting wasn’t far behind—his first proper role was in the Telugu film Samajamlo Sthree in 1986. After a few hiccups (like losing a lead role to Prabhu), he started landing solid gigs in Tamil flicks, especially as a villain in Pulan Visaaranai in 1990. From there, it was non-stop. Dozens of movies—supporting roles, leads, you name it. The big breakthrough? Suriyan in 1992, which basically made him a household name. Awards? Oh, plenty, especially for Nattamai in 1994. And he just kept rolling: action, drama, even a bit of direction (though not always successful). He’s also rocked Malayalam cinema, picking up awards there too. The guy’s filmography is endless and he’s not slowing down.