Baburaj Jacob

Biography:

Baburaj Jacob, known mononymously as Baburaj, is an Indian actor, director, and screenwriter primarily working in Malayalam cinema, with appearances in Tamil and Hindi films. He initially built his career playing antagonistic roles before transitioning to comedic and character roles, particularly after his 2011 film Salt N’ Pepper.

Baburaj has been married twice and has two sons from his first marriage. His second marriage is to South Indian actress Vani Viswanath, with whom he has two children. On February 14, 2017, he was stabbed by one of his neighbors in Idukki after an argument.

He began his acting career as a junior artist, with his Malayalam debut in Bheesmacharya (1994), where he portrayed a notorious villain. Baburaj also played a villain in the 2004 Hindi film Hulchul, a remake of the 1991 Malayalam hit Godfather. Additionally, he produced four Malayalam films and one Tamil film.

In 2009, Baburaj made his directorial debut with Black Dalia, in which he starred alongside Suresh Gopi. He also directed Manushyamrugam, starring himself and Prithviraj Sukumaran, which was produced by his wife.

In 2011, Baburaj ventured into comedy with Salt N’ Pepper, directed by Aashiq Abu. His comedic performance in this film made him one of the most sought-after actors in Malayalam cinema. Following the success of Salt N’ Pepper, he took on lead roles in crime thrillers such as Manushyamrugam, as well as comedy roles in films like Ordinary and Mayamohini. He also starred in lead roles in Naughty Professor and DYSP Sankunni Uncle. In 2017, he featured in the comedy Honey Bee 2: Celebrations and portrayed the antagonist in Thrissivaperoor Kliptham. His true potential for character roles was revealed in the suspense thriller Koodasha, where he played a father seeking revenge for his daughter’s death. Baburaj’s portrayal of Panakkal Jomon in the crime drama Joji (2021) was widely praised by critics.

In 2021, Baburaj directed the comedy Black Coffee, a spin-off of Salt N’ Pepper.