Neeraj Madhav | |
|---|---|
 Neeraj in 2015 | |
| Born | 26 March 1990[1][2] |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Spouse |
Deepthi Janardhan (m. 2018) |
| Children | 1 |
Neeraj Madhav (born 26 March 1990), also known by his stage name NJ is an Indian actor, rapper and dancer who predominantly works in Malayalam films.[3]
Neeraj was born on 26 March 1990, in Kozhikode, Kerala into a Malayali Brahmin family.[4] He did his schooling from St. Joseph's Boys' Higher Secondary School, Calicut. Then graduated in Visual communications from SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kanchipuram and later did post-graduation in Theatre from School of Drama and Fine Arts, Thrissur. His father Dr. K. Madhavan is a veterinarian, and his mother Latha, a teacher.
The young talent started off as a dancer with the first edition of reality television programme ‘Super Dancer’ on Amrita TV and made it to the final round. Neeraj is also a trained Bharatanatyam dancer, having learned it under Kalamandalam Saraswathy and her daughter, Aswathy. He is also trained in chenda and is a disciple of Kalanilayam Udayan Namboodiri.
Neeraj has a younger brother Navneeth Madhav, another dancer turned actor in the family. He has acted in films such as Shikkar, Kottarathil Kutty Bhootham,Nallavan and Manikyakkallu and TV series such as Kuttichathan.[3]
Neeraj made his entry to the Malayalam cinema industry through Raaj Prabavathy Menon's Buddy into which he was selected through an audition. He was later noticed by director Jeethu Joseph and was invited to be a part of his movies Memories and Drishyam, both turned out to be box office successes, with the latter becoming the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever. Meanwhile, Neeraj also acted in Abrid Shine's 1983 and Sathyan Anthikad's Oru Indian Pranayakadha.[3]
Anil Radhakrishnan Menon's Sapthamashree Thaskaraha, in which Neeraj plays one of the lead characters alongside Prithviraj, Anoop Kannan's Homely Meals and Apothecary (film) - a medical drama directed by Madhav Ramadasan are also other noted performances of the actor.[3][5]
Neeraj also debuted as an official dance choreographer through Oru Vadakkan Selfie, scripted by Vineeth Sreenivasan, with the hit song "Enne Thallendammava".[6][7] His other releases in 2015 also include Jamna Pyari, Kunjiramayanam, Madhura Naranga, KL.10 Pathu, Charlie and Adi Kapyare Kootamani.[8]
The movie Oozham, which has Prithviraj in the lead, has Neeraj in a full-length role.[9] Neeraj also portrayed a pivotal role in Tom Emmatty's Oru Mexican Aparatha.
Neeraj debuted as a screenplay writer through the movie Lavakusha in 2017 and also played one of the title characters in this along with Aju Varghese.
Neeraj plays his first lead role in the movie Paippin Chuvattile Pranayam. It was directed by debutant Domin D'Silva. In the movie, he portrays Govindankutty, a daily wage labourer.
In 2019, Neeraj starred as the main antagonist, Moosa Rehman in the Amazon Original web series titled The Family Man, helmed and produced by director duo Raj and DK. The series also stars Manoj Bajpayee, Priyamani and Kishore in major roles.
In July 2020, he released a rap song titled "Pani Paali". it depicts certain common events in the lives of common people during the COVID-19 pandemic. The song went viral in a very short period of time and was a huge hit among Malayalees and also around other parts of the globe. It also introduced rap music to a more mainstream audience.[10]
Neeraj is the son of Dr. K. Madhavan and Latha Madhavan. He married his long time girlfriend Deepthi who is also a native of Kozhikode, on April 2, 2018. The couple have a daughter born in 2021.[11][12]
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Buddy | Govindh | |
| Memories | Mechanic | ||
| Drishyam | Monichan | ||
| Oru Indian Pranayakadha | Charlie | ||
| 2014 | 1983 | Prahladan | [3][13] |
| Apothecary | Shenoy | ||
| Sapthamashree Thaskaraha | Narayanankutti | ||
| Homely Meals | Arun | ||
| 2015 | Mariyam Mukku | Dennis | [3][13] |
| Oru Vadakkan Selfie[6] | Thankaprasad/Thankamma | ||
| Madhura Naranga | Kumar | ||
| KL.10 Pathu | Aftab/Appu | ||
| Just Married | Riyaz | ||
| Jamna Pyari | Tony Kurishinkal | ||
| Kunjiramayanam | Kanjuttan | ||
| Charlie | Ansari | ||
| Adi Kapyare Kootamani | Remo | ||
| 2016 | Oozham | Ajmal | [9] |
| 2017 | Oru Mexican Aparatha | Subhash | |
| Lavakusha | Lavan | Also writer | |
| Paipin Chuvattile Pranayam | Govutty/Govindankutty | ||
| 2018 | Rosapoo | Ambros | |
| 2019 | Allu Ramendran | Neeraj Madhav | Cameo |
| 2020 | Gauthamante Radham | Gauthaman | |
| 2022 | Sundari Gardens | Victor Paul | Sony Liv film[14] |
| Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu | Sridharan | Tamil film, also singer | |
| An Action Hero | Sai | Hindi, Cameo appearance | |
| 2023 | Enkilum Chandrike | Auto Driver Abhishek | Cameo appearance in the Climax portion |
| RDX: Robert Dony Xavier | Xavier | ||
| 2024 | Varshangalkku Shesham † | TBA | Post-production[15] |
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | The Family Man: Season 1 | Moosa Rehman[16] | Hindi | Amazon Prime Video |
| 2021 | Feels Like Ishq | Rajeev | Netflix |
| Year | Album | Song | Music Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Oru Vadakkan Selfie | Enne Thallendammava[6] | Shaan Rahman |
| Year | Song | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Jungle Speaks | Debut EP Music production by RZEE |
[17] |
| Panipaali | Music production by Arcado | [18] | |
| Akkarappacha | Music production by Young H | [19] | |
| Wish | Extended play | [20] | |
| Hope | Extended play | ||
| Fly | Extended play | ||
| 2021 | First Love | feat Siddharth Menon Music production by Arcado |
|
| Namma Stories | Netflix Originals | [21] | |
| Panipaali 2 | Music production by Arcado | ||
| 2022 | ARPO | Music production by Hrishi | |
| Porattam - RAP Song | Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu |
North American Film Awards