A. K. Raveendran
A. K. Raveendran | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 June 1958 |
| Other names | Major Ravi |
| Alma mater | Army Cadet College . Indian Military Academy |
| Occupations |
|
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Spouse |
Anitha (m. 1988) |
| Children | Arjun Ravi |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Kannan Pattambi (Brother) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | India |
| Branch | Indian Army |
| Rank | Major |
Major A. K. Raveendran SM (born 13 June 1958), popularily known as Major Ravi is a retired officer of the Indian Army, former National Security Guard commando, politician, film actor and film director predominantly works in Malayalam cinema and some films in Tamil and Hindi. He was awarded the President's gallantry medal in 1991 and 1992 for his contributions in fighting terrorism in Punjab and Kashmir.[1] After retiring from the army, he began his career in Indian cinema as a consultant for military-based films. He made his independent directorial debut in 2006 with Keerthi Chakra for which he won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Screenplay.[2]
Family
Ravi was born to Indian Army soldier P. Kuttisankaran Nair and A. T. Satyabhama.[3] He is married to Anitha. The couple has a son Arjun Ravi.
Military career
He joined the army as a sepoy after his schooling and later pursued his studies within the army and graduated from the Army Cadet College and from the Indian Military Academy to become an officer in Dec 1984. He served in the Indian Army as a commando in the National Security Guards, as aide-de-camp (ADC) to the then chief of Indian Army General Sunith Francis Rodrigues and as an officer in the Indian Military Intelligence in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Jammu and Kashmir.[4] He was head of the mission code-named Operation One Eyed Jack to capture suspects of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination (the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi by Thenmozhi Rajaratnam on 21 May 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu).[5] His military tenure of three years in the National Security Guard as a commando inspired him to direct Keerthi Chakra (2006) and Mission 90 Days (2007).[6] He retired from the army with the rank of major.
Film career
After serving for 24 years in the Indian Army, he became a military consultant for Indian films. He has worked with Indian film makers Priyadarshan, Rajkumar Santoshi, Kamal Haasan, and Mani Ratnam.[7] His first feature film was Keerti Chakra, a film on Kashmir militancy.[8]
His second movie Mission 90 Days was his own experience of the mission to capture the suspects of Rajiv Gandhi murder case.[5] His third project Kurukshetra based on the Kargil war starring Mohanlal was a sequel to Keerthi Chakra.[9] The 2010 film Kandahar was a third installment to the Major Mahadevan film series.
In 2012, he directed Karma Yodha with Mohanlal. In 2015, Picket 43, starring Prithviraj and Javed Jaffery was made. It turned out to be a hit. He is now heading towards a fourth installment in the Major Mahadevan series. About the film he quoted: "The focus will be on the individuals rather than the war, and will portray the relationships that are forged during the war."[10]
In 2025 after a 13-year-long legal battle, Kottayam Commercial Court ruled that ‘Karmayodha’ script was plagiarised and Major Ravi was ordered to pay ₹30 lakh to the original author Reji Mathew as compensation[11]
Political carrer
In 2021, Raveendran joined Indian National Congress but left the party owing to difference of opinion with the leadership.
In 2023, he joined Bharathiya Janata Party and he is appointed Kerala State Vice Presidents of the party.[12]
He is now contesting in 2026 Kerala Legislative Assembly election as BJP candidate from Ottapalam Assembly constituency in Palakkad district.[13]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Actor | |||
| 1999 | Megham | Yes | |||
| Olympian Anthony Adam | Yes | ||||
| 2000 | Sradha | Yes | |||
| Pukar | Yes | Hindi film | |||
| Snegithiye | Yes | Bilingual film (Malayalam and Tamil) | |||
| 2001 | Aalavandhan | Yes | Tamil film | ||
| 2002 | Onnaman | Yes | |||
| Punarjani | Yes | Yes | Co-director | ||
| 2003 | Lesa Lesa | Yes | Tamil film | ||
| Pattalam | Yes | ||||
| 2006 | Keerthi Chakra | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2007 | Raakilipattu | Yes | |||
| Mission 90 Days | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2008 | Kurukshetra | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2010 | Toofan | Yes | Yes | Yes | Hindi film |
| Kandahar | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2012 | Karma Yodha | Yes | No[11] | Court ruled in 2025 that ‘Karmayodha’ script was plagiarised[11] | |
| 2013 | Oru Yathrayil | Yes | Yes | Segments Amma and I Love My Appa | |
| 2015 | Picket 43 | Yes | Yes | ||
| Anarkali | Yes | ||||
| 2016 | Action Hero Biju | No | No | Yes | |
| Marubhoomiyile Aana | Yes | ||||
| 2017 | Lavakusha | Yes | |||
| 1971: Beyond Borders | Yes | Yes | |||
| 2019 | Driving License | No | No | Yes | |
| 2020 | Varane Avashyamund | No | No | Yes | |
| 2021 | The Last Two Days | Yes | |||
| Oru Thathvika Avalokanam | Yes | ||||
| 2022 | Santacruz | Yes | Filming | ||
| Mei Hoom Moosa | Yes | ||||
| Meppadiyan | Yes | ||||
| 2023 | Valatty | No | No | Yes | Cameo appearance |
| Garudan | No | No | Yes | [14] | |
| 2024 | Thankamani | No | No | Yes | [15] |
| Kishkindha Kaandam | No | No | Yes | [16] | |
| 2025 | Raveendra Nee Evide? | No | No | Yes | [17] |
| Ambalamukkile Visheshangal | No | No | Yes | [18] | |
| 2026 | Spa | No | No | Yes | [19] |
| 2026 | Baby Girl | No | No | Yes | [20] |
Television
| Year | Show | Role | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–2019 | Unarunna Keralam | Host | Amrita TV |
| 2020-2021 | Flowers students startup | Judge | Flowers TV |
| 2021 | Charithram Enniloode | Narrator | Safari TV |
| 2021-2022 | Beautiful Minds | Host | Behindwoods ICE |
Awards
- Sena Medal
- Kerala State Film Awards
- 2006: Best Screen Play - Keerthi Chakra
- Asianet Film Awards
- 2006: Best Director Award - Keerthi Chakra
- 2008: Special Honour Jury Award - Kurukshetra
- 2010: Best Feature Film on National Integration Award - Kandahar
References
- ^ "A major in the film industry".
- ^ "The untold story of a commando operation Film review". The Hindu. 17 July 2007. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Major Ravi - RJ Salini - Starjam - CLUB FM 94.3". YouTube. 12 September 2018.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Major Ravi 09 | Charithram Enniloode | Safari TV". YouTube. 29 January 2021.
- ^ a b "Rajiv Gandhi's death anniversary today, was assassinated in LTTE suicide bomb attack 29 years ago". 21 May 2020.
- ^ "The untold story of a commando operation". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 17 July 2007. Archived from the original on 1 October 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
- ^ "Straight from a soldier's heart". The Hindu. 4 August 2006.
- ^ "മേജര് ഓണ് ഫയര്!, Interview - Mathrubhumi Movies". Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
- ^ "Now showing". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 11 October 2008. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
- ^ "Mohanlal in Major Ravi's next!". 24 October 2015 – via The Economic Times - The Times of India.
- ^ a b c https://english.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/news/setback-for-major-ravi-court-rules-karmayodha-script-was-plagiarised-orders-30-lakh-compensation-k2vyrpe8
- ^ "Major Ravi appointed as BJP Kerala state VP; former Congress leader C Raghunath in national council".
- ^ "BJP candidate Major Ravi and Bigg Boss winner Akhil Marar to contest Kerala Assembly polls".
- ^ "'Garudan' teaser: Suresh Gopi bashes up goons with a motorbike helmet". The Hindu. 26 June 2023. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ "First look of Dileep's Thankamani out". Cinema Express. 21 October 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ Features, C. E. (22 August 2024). "Asif Ali-starrer Kishkindha Kaandam gets a release date". Cinema Express. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- ^ Features, C. E. (23 June 2025). "Anoop Menon-Dhyan Sreenivasan film Ideem Minnalum rechristened Raveendra Nee Evide?". Cinema Express. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ Desk, Cinema Express (11 November 2025). "Gokul Suresh's Ambalamukkile Visheshangal confirms release date". Cinema Express. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Abrid Shine's Spa release deferred by a day". Cinema Express. 10 February 2026. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ Features, C. E. (5 February 2026). "Nivin Pauly's Baby Girl set for OTT release on this date". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 13 February 2026.