Guru Somasundaram

Biography:

Guru Somasundaram, an Indian actor active in the Tamil and Malayalam film industries, marked his debut in Aaranya Kaandam (2011), earning critical acclaim for his performance. His notable appearances include the Tamil action film Pandiya Naadu (2013), Jigarthanda (2014), and Joker (2016). He gained widespread recognition for portraying the super villain character Shibu in the 2021 Netflix Malayalam film, Minnal Murali.

Born on September 3, 1975, Guru Somasundaram became part of the prominent Tamil theatre group, Koothu-P-Pattarai, where he acted in plays from 2002 to 2011. Director Thiagarajan Kumararaja noticed him in 2003 during a play where he portrayed Chandrahari for Koothupattarai. Impressed, Thiagarajan offered him a role in his upcoming film. In 2008, Somasundram played the character Kaalaiyan, a drunkard, in Thiagrajan’s neo-noir film Aaranya Kaandam. He underwent training and lost seven kilograms for the role. The film won two National Film Awards, and Somasundaram’s performance received praise from critics. His role in Kadal (2013), a film directed by Mani Ratnam, followed.

After leaving Koothu-P-Pattarai, Somasundaram ventured into Malayalam cinema, featuring as a photographer in 5 Sundarikal (2013) after being impressed by Shyju Khaled’s narration. In the same year, he played a character role in Suseenthiran’s critically acclaimed Pandiya Naadu, portraying the slain brother of Vishal’s character. In addition to feature films, he appeared in the short silent film The Lost Paradise, depicting a prisoner returning home after fifteen years. His role as an acting coach in Karthik Subbaraj’s gangster film Jigarthanda (2014) garnered acclaim, where he provided acting training to the character portrayed by Bobby Simha. Somasundaram is also recognized for his portrayal of a district collector in the 2019 Tamil film Petta, starring Rajinikanth in the lead role.