Sarathkumar

14 Jul, 1954 | New Delhi

Actor/Producer/Director

Biography

Sarath Kumar is an Indian film actor and politician and the current president of South Indian Film Artistes Association. He started his career in Kollywood as a villain, and then played minor roles in other movies. He was first chosen for the lead role in Suriyan which was a success at the box office. He mainly played the role of an honest cop. He also floated a new political party in Tamil Nadu to carry out the ideals of K. Kamaraj Nadar. Personal Life Sarath Kumar was born on March 29, 1954, in New Delhi to M. Ramanathan and Pushpa Leela. He also has a sister named Mallika Kumar. His native place is Thalakavur in Sivaganga district near Karaikudi. He graduated with his B. Sc. in Mathematics from The New College, Chennai. He currently acts in films and also serves as a DMK member of parliament in Rajya Sabha. He also serves as the current president of the South Indian Film Artistes Association, organizing several industry-based events. Relationships Sarath Kumar is married to actress Radhika. His first wife was Chaya Sarathkumar, with whom he has two daughters named Varalaxmi Sarathkumar and Pooja Sarathkumar. Varalaxmi debuted as heroine with actor Simbu. Sarath Kumar is married to Radhika Sarathkumar since 2001 and they have a son named Rahul, who was born in 2004. Sarath Kumar is also the stepfather to Radhika's daughter Rayanne. Sarath Kumar was throughout his career linked to several of his female co-stars and was previously involved with actresses Heera Rajgopal and Nagma. Both had been his co-stars in a couple of movies. Acting Career Sarath Kumar has acted in six regional languages, including English, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada. He has received critical acclaim for his roles in the films Pulan Visaranai, Sooriyan, Naataamai, Suryavamsam, Natpukkaga and Cheran Pandian. Politics Sarath Kumar joined DMK in the year 1996. DMK fielded him in Tirunelveli Loksabha Constituency during the 1998 parliamentary elections and he lost by a small margin. In 2002, DMK made him a Rajya Sabha member. He left DMK before the 2006 Assembly elections, owing to differences with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi's family members. He joined AIADMK along with his wife Radhika and campaigned vigorously for that party. His wife Radhika Sarath Kumar was dismissed from the AIADMK for anti-party activities in October 2006. He also quit from the AIADMK in November 2006, quoting his workload in Cine industry as a reason. On 31 August 2007, Sarath Kumar floated a new party named 'Akila Indiya Samathuva Makkal Katchi'. He has vowed to bring back Kamarajar rule in Tamil Nadu. His party was humiliated with less than 1% vote in the Thriumangalam by election. He joined DMK in 1996 in order to defeat Jayalalitha. In 1998, Kalaignar asked Sarath Kumar to contest for the Lok Sabha elections from Tirunelveli. In the election, DMK lost very badly and the alliance could muster only 9 seats compared to the 40 seats it swept in 1996. Even though DMK lost badly in many constituencies, Sarath Kumar was defeated by Kadambur. R. Janarthanan by a margin of only 6000 votes.