:Ravindra Vijay

Born and raised in Bangalore, Ravindra is a polyglot and is fluent in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and English. He completed a medical degree at Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute and is a qualified doctor. During his time as a student, he took on acting as a hobby and worked on college productions. In 2005, he joined the Bengaluru-based theatre troupe Rafiki, and began working on street plays.{{Cite news |last=R |first=Shilpa Sebastian |date=19 August 2020 |title=A doctor who became an actor |newspaper=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/meet-doctor-ravindra-vijay-who-quit-medicine-to-become-an-actor/article32393624.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602213509/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/meet-doctor-ravindra-vijay-who-quit-medicine-to-become-an-actor/article32393624.ece |archive-date=2 June 2021 |access-date=1 June 2021 |via=www.thehindu.com}} Soon after he quit his career as a doctor, Ravindra took on odd jobs to earn, and briefly worked at an oil rig. By 2011, he became a full-time theatre actor.{{Cite web |date=17 November 2012 |title=Enriching students' lives through theatre |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/292494/enriching-students-lives-through-theatre.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606123228/https://www.deccanherald.com/content/292494/enriching-students-lives-through-theatre.html |archive-date=6 June 2021 |access-date=6 June 2021 |website=Deccan Herald}}{{Cite web |date=12 July 2011 |title=Facing the fear factor |url=https://www.mid-day.com/articles/facing-the-fear-factor/127989 |website=mid-day}}{{Cite web |title=Ghosts and doppelgangers |url=https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/lounge/Vaikom-Muhammad-Basheer-Sultan-of-Beypore-Jagriti-Theatre-Paul-Mathew-Iswar-Srikumar-Aparna-Gopinath-Rency-Philip-Anand-Sami-Ravindra-Vijay-Ashiqa-Salvan/articleshow/43914070.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606123229/https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/lounge/Vaikom-Muhammad-Basheer-Sultan-of-Beypore-Jagriti-Theatre-Paul-Mathew-Iswar-Srikumar-Aparna-Gopinath-Rency-Philip-Anand-Sami-Ravindra-Vijay-Ashiqa-Salvan/articleshow/43914070.cms |archive-date=6 June 2021 |access-date=6 June 2021 |website=Bangalore Mirror}}

In the mid-2010s, he moved to Chennai and joined the theatre troupe, Perch. He acted in several of the collective's plays, such as Under the Mangosteen Tree, which was inspired by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer's short stories.{{Cite news |title=Retelling stories under a mangosteen tree – Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/kannada/theatre/Under-the-Mangosteen-Tree/articleshow/53489618.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606124732/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/kannada/theatre/Under-the-Mangosteen-Tree/articleshow/53489618.cms |archive-date=6 June 2021 |access-date=6 June 2021 |website=The Times of India|date=4 August 2016 }}{{Cite web |last=Joseph |first=Raveena |date=27 April 2015 |title=Life, through his words |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/perchs-staging-of-vaikom-muhammad-basheers-under-the-mangosteen-tree-recreated-the-genius-of-the-celebrated-writer/article7146884.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606123228/https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/perchs-staging-of-vaikom-muhammad-basheers-under-the-mangosteen-tree-recreated-the-genius-of-the-celebrated-writer/article7146884.ece |archive-date=6 June 2021 |access-date=6 June 2021 |website=The Hindu}}{{Cite web |title=Aparna Gopinath's 'Under the Mangosteen Tree' to be staged at JTPac |url=https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/art-and-culture/under-the-mangosteen-tree-to-be-staged-at-kochi.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606123229/https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/art-and-culture/under-the-mangosteen-tree-to-be-staged-at-kochi.html |archive-date=6 June 2021 |access-date=6 June 2021 |website=OnManorama}} He also appeared in the plays How to Skin a Giraffe and Jujubee, a play for children.{{Cite web |date=16 July 2013 |title=How to Skin a Giraffe – Aug 2, Aug 10 & Aug 24 |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/theatre/how-to-skin-a-giraffe-aug-2-aug-10-aug-24/article4917486.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606123234/https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/theatre/how-to-skin-a-giraffe-aug-2-aug-10-aug-24/article4917486.ece |archive-date=6 June 2021 |access-date=6 June 2021 |website=The Hindu}} He is part of the trio that performs Kira Kozhambu, a play based on writer Ki Rajanarayanan's folk tales. Vijay acted in the play with Anandsami and Kalieaswari Srinivasan in Coimbatore. And re-enacted the same play with Maya S. Krishnan reprising Srinivasan's part in Chennai.{{Cite web |last=Philip |first=Susan Joe |date=20 November 2017 |title=Folktales by Ki.Rajanarayanan: Of sky, birds and pacha mochai |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/theatre/kira-kuzhambu-served-up-a-dramatic-feast-of-ki-rajanarayanans-stories-in-coimbatore/article20577025.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606123228/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/theatre/kira-kuzhambu-served-up-a-dramatic-feast-of-ki-rajanarayanans-stories-in-coimbatore/article20577025.ece |archive-date=6 June 2021 |access-date=6 June 2021 |website=The Hindu}}{{Cite web |last=Basu |first=Soma |date=21 February 2019 |title=The arts and the city |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/art/the-madurai-art-fest-2019-organised-by-kaleidoscope-brought-various-art-form-on-a-single-platform/article26331367.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606123228/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/art/the-madurai-art-fest-2019-organised-by-kaleidoscope-brought-various-art-form-on-a-single-platform/article26331367.ece |archive-date=6 June 2021 |access-date=6 June 2021 |website=The Hindu}}{{Cite web |last=Datta |first=Sravasti |date=17 May 2018 |title=Ki Ra Kozhambu: universal folk tales |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/theatre/universal-folk-tales/article23914771.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606123231/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/theatre/universal-folk-tales/article23914771.ece |archive-date=6 June 2021 |access-date=6 June 2021 |website=The Hindu}} The play solely featured the three actors and a bench.{{Cite news|last=Saravanan |first=T. |date=27 April 2018 |title=A story well told |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/theatre/kira-kozhambu-staged-by-perch-chennai-takes-the-audience-on-a-wild-journey-through-a-kaleidoscope-of-stories/article23694966.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606123231/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/theatre/kira-kozhambu-staged-by-perch-chennai-takes-the-audience-on-a-wild-journey-through-a-kaleidoscope-of-stories/article23694966.ece |archive-date=6 June 2021 |access-date=6 June 2021 |newspaper=The Hindu}}{{Cite news |last=Paul |first=Papri |date=16 December 2016 |title=This children's theatre fest was a blockbuster |newspaper=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/events/hyderabad/this-childrens-theatre-fest-was-a-blockbuster/articleshow/56023828.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606124731/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/events/hyderabad/this-childrens-theatre-fest-was-a-blockbuster/articleshow/56023828.cms |archive-date=6 June 2021 |access-date=26 July 2020}} The play was based on Ki. Rajanarayanan's collection of short stories titled Nattuppura Kadhai Kalanjiyam, with Anandsami reprising his role from the original play.{{Cite web |title=Kira's folktales in a play |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2017/oct/31/kiras-folktales-in-a-play-1688515.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606123228/https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2017/oct/31/kiras-folktales-in-a-play-1688515.html |archive-date=6 June 2021 |access-date=6 June 2021 |website=The New Indian Express|date=November 2017 }} A critic stated that "Actors Anand Sami, Maya S. Krishnan and Ravindra Vijay were in their elements with their seamless blend of art and entertainment".

Thereafter, he received an offer to appear as the brother of Nassar's character in Nishanth Ravindaran's black comedy film Odu Raja Odu (2018). He then continued to work on films, notably appearing in Kamal Haasan's production Kadaram Kondan (2019), and Dharala Prabhu (2020). Ravindra appeared in the Telugu film Uma Maheshwara Ugra Roopasya (2020), portraying the character of Jognath, the catalyst for the film's revenge-based narrative. The popularity of his role in the film led to audience creating memes on the character.{{Cite web |last=Dundoo |first=Sangeetha Devi |date=24 August 2020 |title=Let memes do the talking |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/how-memes-are-emerging-as-a-yardstick-to-gauge-the-impact-of-telugu-films/article32428887.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602220010/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/how-memes-are-emerging-as-a-yardstick-to-gauge-the-impact-of-telugu-films/article32428887.ece |archive-date=2 June 2021 |access-date=2 June 2021 |website=Thehindu.com}}

In 2021, Ravindra was seen in Amazon Prime's The Family Man portraying a Chennai-based intelligence officer.{{Cite news|date=5 June 2021 |title='Family Man 2' wins rave reviews |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/2303565/family-man-2-wins-rave-reviews |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612020937/https://tribune.com.pk/story/2303565/family-man-2-wins-rave-reviews |archive-date=12 June 2021 |access-date=6 June 2021 |newspaper=The Express Tribune}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/meet-theatre-artist-and-film-actor-ravindra-vijay-who-played-the-role-of-intelligence-officer-muthu-pandian-in-the-family-man-season-2/article34771751.ece|title=Liked Muthu Pandian from 'The Family Man 2'? Here's how Ravindra prepared for it|first=Chitra Deepa|last=Anantharam|date=9 June 2021|access-date=18 November 2021|website=Thehindu.com}}

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