# Biju Sopanam

Biju Sopanam (born 4 January 1970) is an Indian television, theatre, and film actor. He is best known for portraying the character of Balachandran Thampi in the popular sitcom Uppum Mulakum, broadcast on Flowers TV. He made his movie debut by acting in a small role in the hit movie Rajamanikyam in the year 2005. He is a renowned Sanskrit Drama Artist and have performed in many stages across the country. He was trained under Kavalam Narayana Panicker, the iconic Indian dramatist.

## Early life

He was born in Neyyattinkara, Thiruvananthapuram. His younger brother, Binoj Kulathoor, is also a television artist.

## Career

He started his career as a theatre artist at the age of 20 in Kavalam Narayana Panicker's Sopanam Theatre Group. Along with the group he travelled across India participating in National Theatre Festival(Bharat Rang Mahotsav) and other prestigious programmes. He wanted to get into movies through this but he later revealed that after joining the group he become totally focused on drama and subsequently he left his dreams of becoming a film actor. From 2005 to 2013 he acted in three different films portraying short roles. Then in 2015 he was cast as Benjamin Brunou, a college principal in the television series Back Benchers, being telecasted in Amrita TV. On seeing him in this programme he was called up by director R.Unnikrishnan for his upcoming sitcom being made for Flowers TV. This programme is considered as his breakthrough. He was cast as Balachandran Thampi, a carefree, loving father and husband in the sitcom which was named as Uppum Mulakum. As he had to spend more time on the sets of Uppum Mulakum, his guru Kavalam Narayana Panicker asked him to stop it. But after being impressed by his work in it, he was allowed to do it, but in return he was asked to never leave theatre, which he agreed and now leads the group after his guru's death in 2016, trying to work there through his busy schedule. He skyrocketed to fame for his work in the programme drawing praise from various media organisations. Then he was called for a supporting role as Advocate Subbu in C/O Saira Banu.

## Controversy

In December 2024, sexual assault complaint has been filed against lead actors of Uppum Mulakum, Biju Sopanam and S. P. Sreekumar. The complaint, lodged by a female actress, alleges that she was assaulted during the shoot of the series. One of the accused is alleged to have assaulted the actress, while the other is accused of threatening her to prevent her from speaking out. The case was initially registered by the Infopark Police and has since been transferred to the Thrikkakara Police for further investigation. A special investigation team (SIT) has been formed to probe the matter.

## Filmography

Key :
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role |
| 2005 | Rajamanikyam | |
| 2006 | Bhargavacharitham Moonam Khandam | |
| 2010 | Nallavan | Man in lockup |
| 2011 | Veeraputhran | |
| 2013 | Black Butterfly | |
| 2014 | Otta Mandaram | |
| 2017 | C/O Saira Banu | Advocate Subbu |
| 2017 | Lechmi | |
| 2018 | Kuttanpillayude Sivarathri | Suneesh |
| 2018 | Thattumpurath Achuthan | |
| 2019 | Janaadhipan | |
| 2019 | Pathinettam Padi | Shalamon Abraham Palakkal |
| 2019 | Love Action Drama | Dinesh's Uncle |
| 2019 | Adhyarathri | Satheesh |
| 2019 | Kamala | Ravi |
| 2019 | Gauthamante Radham | Shibu Asan |
| 2021 | Djibouti | |
| 2022 | Priyan Ottathilanu | Chekkuttan |
| 2022 | Upacharapoorvam Gunda Jayan | Sugathan |
| 2022 | Ally | Manoharan |
| 2022 | Mukundan Unni Associates | Dr. Sebatti |
| 2023 | Laika | |
| 2023 | Madhura Manohara Moham | Jose |
| 2023 | Kunjamminis Hospital | Fr. Ainickal Joy |
| 2023 | Pendulum | Tea Shop Owner |
| 2023 | Rani | |
| 2024 | Iyer In Arabia | |
| 2024 | Varshangalkku Shesham | Film producer |
| 2024 | Big Ben | |
| 2024 | Idiyan Chandhu | |
| 2024 | Oru Anweshanathinte Thudakkam | |

## Television

| Year | Programme | Role | Channel | Notes |
| 2015 | Back Benchers | Benjamin Brunou, College Principal | Amrita TV | |
| 2015-2021 | Uppum Mulakum | Kulathara Shoolamkudi Veetil Balachandran Thampi (Balu) | Flowers TV | |
| 2018 | Krithyam | Shivanna | YouTube | Short film |
| 2020-2021 | Double Decker | Paramada Veetil Balu | Flowers TV | Reprising his role from Uppum Mulakum |
| 2021 | Pappanum Padminiyum | Pappan | YouTube | Web series |
| 2021 | Eruvum Puliyum | Balu | Zee Keralam | Telefilm |
| 2021 | Kattan | Omanakuttan (Omana) | YouTube | Web series |
| 2022 | Erivum Puliyum | Freddy | Zee Keralam | Reboot of Uppum Mulakum |
| 2022–2024 | Uppum Mulakum Season 2 | Kulathara Shoolamkudi Veetil Balachandran Thampi (Balu) | Flowers TV | |
| 2024 | Uppum Mulakum Season 3 | Kulathara Shoolamkudi Veetil Balachandran Thampi (Balu) | Flowers TV | |

## Awards

| Award | Year | Category | Programme | Result |
| Kerala State Television Award | 2017 | Best Comedian | Uppum Mulakum | Won |
| Flowers Comedy Awards | 2016 | Best Star Pair | Uppum Mulakum | Won |
| Flowers TV Award | 2017 | Best Actor | Uppum Mulakum | Won |