Jijoy Rajagopalan is an Indian film actor and international theater artist who was featured in a theater production of a Shakespeare play in the UK. He predominantly works in the Malayalam film industry, and made his Tamil debut with the hugely popular film Jai Bheem. Jijoy is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Acting at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune since 2014.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Jijoy Pulikal Rajagopalan was born on Wednesday, 1 September 1976 (age 45 years; as in 2021) in Irinjalakuda, Kerala. His zodiac sign is Virgo. He attended Sree Narayana Higher Secondary School in his hometown until 1992, and he obtained his pre-degree from Christ College in Irinjalakuda, Kerala. Jijoy then joined Calicut University in Malappuram, Kerala to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. He also has a bachelor’s degree in Theater Arts from the Drama School, Thrissur. After his graduation, Jijoy worked in a few films and serials and then moved to Puducherry to pursue MA and M.Phil in Drama and Theater Arts at Pondicherry Central University, Kalapet. Apparently, the actor was a gold medalist in both MA and M.Phil.
Physical Appearance
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper
Eye colour: black
Family
parents and siblings
His father’s name is PR Rajagopalan and mother’s name is KG Mangaladevi. Jijoy has two brothers – Binoy Pulikal Rajagopalan and Bejoy Pulikal Rajagopalan.
wife and children
Jijoy is married to Rhea Mary Philip and the couple has a son named Karma Jijoy Pulikal.
livelihood
Theater
In 1987, Jijoy acted in his first play, Yadartha Velakkaran, at SN Higher Secondary School in Irinjalakuda, Kerala. Jijoy wrote and directed the play, and his character was named Velakkaran. He continued to do many more plays during his pre-degree, bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Jeejoy Rajagopalan performing in a play
The artiste started in theater at Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts, New Delhi. Rajagopalan did not limit himself to India only and was selected among the 21 people who were part of the theater group working with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Britain. The play was produced by the British Council and performed at the Swan Theater in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK. In 2005, Rajagopalan played the roles of Oberon and Theseus in a multilingual theater remake of the famous Shakespeare play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, directed by British theater director Tim Supple. From April 2006 to December 2009, he toured with the group across five continents, performing in over 350 shows in the US, India, England, Italy, Canada, Australia, Japan and other countries. According to the international artist, this performance was a turning point in his acting career.
Television and films
Jijoy entered the Malayalam industry in the 1990s with his first TV show Innocent Kadhakal as Sathyan and has appeared in about 10 TV shows since then. She made her debut in the Malayalam language film Niram in 1999 and also acted in two other films in the same year. Rajagopalan did about 40 films in the following years. In 2021, she made her Tamil debut with the widely acclaimed drama film ‘Jai Bheem’, which was a blockbuster hit. The actor played the character named Rajesh Munnar in the film.
Jijoy Rajagopalan’s Jai Bhim
Other
In 2010, the actor debuted as a dubbing artist for the character Jain Cyriac Babu in the Malayalam film Shikar. Since May 2014, Jijoy also serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Acting at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, Maharashtra.
Facts/General Knowledge
- Apart from acting, Jijoy enjoys performing the Kerala martial art Kalaripayattu and listening to Carnatic music.
- Rajagopalan revealed in an interview that he knew from a young age that he wanted to become an actor. According to him, he got interested in acting and art through music and theatre. When Jijoy was doing his pre-degree he also actively participated in theater and many plays. Reportedly, his performance eventually earned him the title of ‘Kalaprathiba’, and he also won the Best Actor award seven times in various university competitions. Talking about the same, Jijoy said,
I am an artist; I’ve been living all my life.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn