Indrans

K. Surendran (born 16 March 1956), better known by his stage name Indrans, is an Indian actor and former costume designer, who appears in Malayalam films. He started his film career as a costume designer and actor in 1981 and got a breakthrough in 1994 with the comedy movie CID Unnikrishnan B.A., B.Ed. Indrans was popular for his comedy roles in the 1990s and 2000s.
He found success in playing character roles in his later career and won the National Film Awards-Special Mention for his performance in Home in 2023 and won the Kerala State Film Award – Special Mention for his performance in Apothecary in 2014. In 2018, Indrans won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in Aalorukkam. His performance in Veyilmarangal made him win the Best Actor Award at the 2019 Singapore International Film Festival. As of November 2021, he had starred in over 550 films.
Indrans was born on 16 March 1956. He is third among the seven children of Palavila Kochuvelu and Gomathi at Kumarapuram, Thiruvananthapuram. He has four sisters and two brothers.
Indrans had to face financial problems at his house and joined his uncle to learn tailoring. Later, he joined amateur arts clubs and began acting in dramas. He started his acting career in television serial Kaliveedu in Doordarshan. Along with his brother, K. Jayakumar, he opened a tailoring shop named Indran's Brothers Tailors in Kumarapuram, Thiruvananthapuram.
Indrans made his debut in the 1981 film Choothattam both as a costume designer and as an actor. The producer, TMN Charley, offered him a chance to assist him in costume designing and he worked with designing costumes for several years, acting in various small roles. He got noticed for playing a small role of a marriage broker in the 1993 film Meleparambil Anveedu. Indrans got his breakthrough with his role in CID Unnikrishnan B.A., BEd (1994). This led to him being cast in various comedic roles in the films of the 1990s. Indrans’ lean figure and peculiar way of delivering his dialogue and mannerisms made him a popular comedian in Malayalam cinema during these period. Some of his memorable roles came with the movies such as Malappuram Haji Mahanaya Joji, Manathe Kottaram, Vadhu Doctoranu, Aadyathe Kanmani, Aniyan Bava Chetan Bava etc. He played the character "Uthaman" in the 1998 cult hit Punjabi House. Indrans' combination with Harishree Ashokan resulted in some of the successful films.
In the early 2000s he also started playing some minor character roles. Subsequently, his role of a thief in the 2004 film Kathavasheshan got him noticed as a character actor. In Rahasya Police (2009), Indrans was revealed to be the villain of the movie at the end. He played another villain role in Pottas Bomb (2013). Indrans won the Kerala State Film Award – Special Mention for his performance in the 2014 film Apothecary.
In 2016, Indrans got noticed for his portrayal of a serious role, in the film Munroe Thuruth, directed by Manu. After this movie, he played several serious character roles. He appeared in serious avatars in Kaadu Pookunna Neram (2016) and God Say (2017). Indrans played several notable roles in films such as Makkana, Lonam, Paathi and Buddhanum Chaplinum Chirikkunnu. In 2018, he won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in the 2017 film Aalorukkam. In 2019, he was awarded Singapore South Asian International Film Best actor award for his performance in Veyilmarangal. Veyil Marangal also won the Outstanding Artistic Achievement at the Shanghai International film festival. Indrans played the lead role in the movie Mohabbathin Kunjabdulla (2019). His brief cameo as the serial killer Ripper Ravi in the crime thriller Anjaam Pathiraa (2020) was critically acclaimed.
In 2021, he played the lead role of Oliver Twist in Home. The movie was well acclaimed by the critics and audience especially praising Indrans' performance.
Indrans married Santhakumari on 23 February 1985. They have a daughter Mahitha and a son Mahendran.
Indrans' autobiography, titled Indradhanussu, was serialised in Mathrubhumi Illustrated Weekly and published as a book in 2024 by Mathrubhumi Books. The work earned him the Cherukad Award for the year 2024.