T.g Ravi

Ravi (Ravindranathan), popularly known as T. G. Ravi, is a Malayalam film actor, mainly noted for his roles as a villain. He along with Balan K. Nair played most of the negative roles in Malayalam cinema during the late 70s and 80s.

Born on May 16, 1944, in Moorkanikkara, Thrissur, Kerala, India, he graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the Government Engineering College, Thrissur, in 1969. Apart from involving in theatre arts, he also represented the University of Kerala in Football and Hockey. He was an artist at the All India Radio, where he met Thikkodiyan, who was instrumental in introducing him to the silver screen.

He is a noted industrialist and has been instrumental in developing Thrissur as a major base for the rubber-based industries. He is the Managing Director of Suntec Tyres Limited. He is also serving as the president of The Cochin Devaswom Board, which controls the affairs of over 400 temples in Eranakulam, Thrissur and Palakkad districts.

He is married to Dr. V. K. Subhadra, a retired government servant. He has two children: Ranjith, an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta and currently a student of London Business School and Sreejith, a Mechanical Engineer and an upcoming film actor. Seema & Sajitha are his daughter-in-laws. Milit and Richraswa are his grandsons.

Career

Ravi began acting in the plays put up by the young men in his village, Moorkkanikkara, in Thrissur district. He also started acting in professional drama. Radio plays were popular in those days. Thikkodiyan introduced Ravi to Aravindan, a highly acclaimed Malayalam Director, which fetched him his first role in Utharayanam.

But he didn’t get any offers to act after that, so he produced a film himself, Padasaram, in which he was, predictably, the hero. It flopped at the box office, but the next two films he produced, Chora Chuvanna Chora and Chakara, did better. The role of Shaji in Chakara opposite Jayan established him as a villain.

Among those who noticed him was director Bharathan. He cast Ravi in the role of Rappai in Parankimala. The villain who spoke in the Thrissur dialect proved to be the turning point in his career. There was no looking back after Parankimala, as Ravi starred in many hits, including Ee Nadu, Iniyenkilum, Pathamudayam, 1921, NH 47, and Pavam Krooran.

He quit acting when he was at his peak, as one of the dreaded villains of Malayalam cinema in the late 1980s. T. G. Ravi is now active again as an actor, after a break. He restarted his career with Sibi Malayil's venture Amrutham in 2006 and then made noted performances in Pakal, Cycle and a few other movies.