Ponnambalam

Ponnambalam Biography

Ponnambalam is a popular actor associated with south Indian cinema, known for portraying villain and henchman roles. He is also a stuntman of movies. He started his career as an extra fighter and later emerged as a noted ‘Bad man’ of south Indian cinema in the 1990s. He was in his career peak in the 1990s and his most memorable role is antagonist Kabali for 1993 movie, Walter Vetrivel which provided him the major break to the industry as an antagonist. Currently he is associated with state politics and a member of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam since 2011.

He was born in Chennai on 11 November 1963. He was a sportsman active in gymnastics during his younger days. He was a national high-jump champion in 1984. Born into a big family he had six sisters. So to support his family, he joined film field as a stuntman. He started his career as an extra fighter in the 1980s. He has been injured several times for the fight sequences for the movies. Yet he survived in the industry to provide financial aid for his family.

1993 movie, Walter Vetrivel was his major break to the industry. His villain role – Kabali is still remembered by film fans and he is often called by the name, Kabali. The following year he made his debut to Malayalam movies, through the action film – Kambolam where he played the role of a henchman. Since then he is regularly associated with Malayalam films as well. In 2001, he was seen in Anil Kapoor starrer Bollywood hit – Nayak. Though he worked in all south Indian language films, he predominantly worked in Tamil movies and has portrayed hundreds of negative roles onscreen. He has also directed one movie – Pattayakilappu and is currently active in state politics. 

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Updated: February 09, 2016