Chiyaan Vikram: Lesser-known facts about the 'Raavan' actor

Vikram, famously known as Chiyaan Vikram,  has been part of various commercially successful and critically acclaimed movies over the years. The actor has earned significant critical acclaim for many of his performances. He has won seven Filmfare Awards as well as one National Film Award for Best Actor. Here are some of the lesser-known facts about the actor:

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Lesser-known facts about Chiyaan Vikram

• Vikram’s Screen Name: Vikram’s parents named him Kennedy and fondly called him Kenny. But he reportedly hated the name. However, after realising that if he wanted a name change he liked, he would have to come up with it himself. Hence, he took Vi from his father’s name Vikram, K from Kennedy, RA from his mother’s name, and RAM from his sun sign, Aries. And eventually, a screen name was created - Vikram.

• Vikram In Mani Ratnam’s Bombay: Vikram was reportedly set to be a part of a few scenes for the Mani Ratnam-directorial Bombay. But he couldn’t continue filming as couldn’t shave off his beard, which he maintained for his another film. However, he later appeared in Mani Ratnam’s movie called Ravanan, which was bilingual.
• His Initial Stage: Vikram started his career by doing modelling and acting in some soap operas. Since then, Chiyaan Vikram has worked in a large number of Malayalam and Telugu movies.
• His Marriage: The actor is married to Shailaja, who hails from Kerala. The duo got married when Vikram was in crutches following three years of being bed-ridden after he broke his leg in 1980. They tied the knot in Guruvayoor, and also had a wedding ceremony in a church.

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• Vikram’s other talents: Apart from being the lead actor, initially he had also played supporting roles in many movies. Chiyaan Vikram has even done playback singing and has even dubbed for many actors. Reportedly, Vikram dubbed for Prabhu Deva in Shankar’s Kathalan movie, for Kamal Haasan in Kuruthipunal and for Abbas in Kandukondein Kandukondein.
• Ravanan: His film Ravanan which was directed by Mani Ratnam, was the first Indian film to be dubbed in the German language.
• Vikram’s father was also an actor: Many of his fans were aware of the fact that Vikram’s father was also an actor who was mostly seen in some of Tamil films which were Gilli and Thiruppachi.
• Vikram struggled: Reportedly, Vikram struggled for more than seven years to get recognised in the Tamil film industry. He found fame as a model but failed to be a part of any movie for so long.
• Vikram’s cousin is actor Prashanth: Vikram’s uncle is the Malaiyur Mambattiyan actor Thiagarajan which eventually makes actor Prashanth, Chiyaan Vikram’s first cousin.
• Vikram’s Education: The actor went on to get an English degree at Loyola college, alongside Arvind Swamy, Telugu actor Venkatesh and his favourite director, Dharani.

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