Malayalam actor Suraj Venjaramoodu set for Kannada film debut with Shivarajkumar-starrer Dad

National Award-winning actor Suraj Venjaramoodu is currently on the set of Dad, directed by Aneel Kanneganti, his first in Sandalwood.

Suraj Venjaramoodu

After more than two decades of working exclusively in the Malayalam film industry, which fetched him a National Award and multiple Kerala State film awards, actor Suraj Venjaramoodu broadened his horizons only recently with the 2025 Tamil film Veera Dheera Sooran. He’d played a pivotal role in the Vikram-led film. The actor, who will also be a part of Rajinikanth’s upcoming Jailer 2, and Dhanush’s untitled Vignesh Raja project, is set for his Kannada film debut now.

Suraj Venjaramoodu in pivotal role in Shivarajkumar's Dad

Earlier today, Kannada filmmaker-actor Aravind Kuplikar shared that he had the privilege of sharing screen, albeit in a minor role, with Suraj Venjaramoodu on the set of Shivarajkumar’s Dad. “The shoot was an incredible experience,” wrote Aravind, in his post that was accompanied by an image of him in police uniform along with Suraj. Aravind says that Suraj’s insights on the character and performance inspired me and that being with him on set was a real fanboy moment. “It’s a dream come trye to stand beside him as a fellow actor. I’ll forever cherish those two minutes of conversation we shared on set,” he wrote.

Dad is one of the several projects that Shivarajkumar is currently working on. Directed by Aneel Kanneganti, the film explores a father-daughter relationship. Child artiste Baby Nakshatra plays Shivarajkumar’s daughter in the film, which also stars Sharmiela Mandre. Shivarajkumar is currently juggling multiple projects, including Dad, Pavan Wadeyar’s Bail, Hemanth M Rao’s 666 Operation Dream Theatre, Ram Charan’s Peddi and Jailer 2.

Also read: D54 officially goes on floors: Mamitha Baiju, Suraj Venjaramoodu onboard for Vignesh Raja film

FAQs

Q. What is Shivarajkumar's next release?

A. Shivarajkumar's next release is 45, which marks the directorial debut of music composer Arjun Janya. Called 45, the film also stars Upendra and Raj B Shetty in the lead and will release in theatres on December 25, 2025.

Q. What happened to Shivarajkumar in 2024?

A. During the promotions of Bhairathi Ranagal, it was revealed that Shivarajkumar had been diagnosed with cancer of the bladder. After several rounds of treatment and a couple of surgeries in Bengaluru, he was flown to Miami to have the cancerous bladder replaced. 45 is a film he'd wrapped up before heading off for his treatment. The entire process of his cancer diagnosis and treatment will soon be available as a documentary called Survivor.

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