Nivin Pauly

Early life

Nivin Pauly was born on 11 October 1984 at Aluva in the Ernakulam district of Kerala. His parents are Pauly Bonaventure and Thressiamma Pauly, who were employed at Aarau, Switzerland. He was brought up in Kerala. He did his B. Tech. degree in Electronics & Communication Engineering from the Federal Institute of Science and Technology in Angamaly. He was employed at Infosys Ltd. in Bangalore through campus placements and was working there as a software engineer from 2006 to 2008. However, he resigned and returned home after his father's death.

Career

Debut and breakthrough (2010–2012)

Nivin auditioned for Malarvaadi Arts Club and was cast by Vineeth Sreenivasan in the role of Prakashan, which marked his debut. Following this, he acted in the films The Metro and Sevenes, and did cameos in Traffic and Spanish Masala. He appeared in the music video Nenjodu Cherthu from the album Yuvvh.

The 2012 film Thattathin Marayathu became one of the biggest hits of the year. He played the role of Vinod, a Hindu boy madly in love with Ayesha, a Muslim girl. This was Vineeth Sreenivasan's second film as a director. This also secured his position as one of the finest actors in the Malayalam film industry. He received offers from directors, including Sathyan Anthikad, Rajesh Pillai, Aashiq Abu, and Shyamaprasad.

Rise to prominence (2013–2015)

Nivin made his debut in Tamil with the bilingual film Neram.The film was director Alphonse Puthren's directorial debut and was noted for its non-linear screenplay. His other Malayalam films in 2013 include 5 Sundarikal and Sunil Ibrahim's Arikil Oraal. The latter was a psychological thriller in which he played the role of Ichcha, a waiter at a café. In 5 Sundarikal, he acted in the segment "Isha" directed by Sameer Thahir. He also acted in Shyamaprasad's English: An Autumn in London where he portrayed the character of a London-born dapper playboy.

In 2014, he played the role of Rameshan in Abrid Shine's directorial debut 1983, a coming-of-age sports film. His portrayal of Rameshan from his school life, well into adulthood earned him the Best Actor Award at the 2014 Kerala State Film Awards. This film also fetched him multiple other awards including the Best Actor (Malayalam) at the Filmfare Awards South and South Indian International Movie Awards, and Most Popular Actor at the Vanitha Film Awards. This was followed by debutant Jude Anthany Joseph's romantic comedy Ohm Shanthi Oshaana, in which he portrayed the role of Giri and was released a week after 1983. "Sify" stated that the director Jude Anthany Joseph "creates an engaging enough drama in Ohm Shanthi Oshaana, that you're happy to emotionally invest in [it]." His next release Bangalore Days was the coming-of-age romantic comedy drama directed by Anjali Menon. Nivin essayed the role of Krishnan "Kuttan" P P, a software engineer who is judgemental about modern life without really thinking about his own hypocrisies. This role was also taken into account by the jury for the Best Actor award at the 2014 Kerala State Film Awards. The film was released in 205 theaters across India, making it one of the biggest releases for a Malayalam film at the time. In the same year, he played an extended cameo in the Lal Jose film Vikramadithyan, as an assistant district magistrate.

In 2015, Nivin appeared in Mili, Oru Vadakkan Selfie and Ivide. He plays the role of a soft-skills trainer, Naveen in Mili, directed by Rajesh Pillai. He followed this up with the "road-comedy film" Oru Vadakkan Selfie, directed by G. Prajith and scripted by Vineeth Sreenivasan.

He then acted in Premam, where he played the role of George David. It grossed over 600 million, and became one of the highest grossing Malayalam movies, catapulting him into the '50-crore club'. The film collected ₹2 crore from Tamil Nadu box office in its 300 days theatrical run making it the highest grossing Malayalam film in Tamil Nadu at the time. Nivin's portrayal of George was featured in the Film Companion's 100 Greatest Performances of the Decade. Praising his performance, the Film Companion wrote: "His performance had charm, mischief, and most impressively, vulnerability."

Continued success and critical acclaim (2016–2021)

Nivin produced Action Hero Biju in 2016 under his banner Pauly Jr. Pictures. The film, a police procedural drama, was directed by Abrid Shine. As sub-inspector Biju Poulose, the film and the role portrays an honest look at the life of a police official. The film also has the highest opening gross for a Malayalam film in Tamil Nadu. The movie was well received by the police fraternity in Kerala. He also starred in the family-drama Jacobinte Swargarajyam directed by Vineeth Srinivasan. Based on a true story, he played the role of Jerry, the son of Jacob Zacharia who struggles to clear his father's debts.

His next film was a political drama Sakhavu in which he played dual roles. Directed by Sidhartha Siva, this was the first dual role in his career, where he portrayed a student political leader and a senior social activist and comrade who fights for his left-wing ideals.

Nivin appeared in his first straight Tamil feature film through Gautham Ramachandran's crime drama Richie (2017), where he portrayed a small town thug. He also starred in the dramedy Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela. This film was his second outing as a producer. The film which was received well at the box office was a heart-warming story which portrayed that cancer is never the end of the road for everyone involved.

In 2018, the big-budget movie Kayamkulam Kochunni, directed by Rosshan Andrrews made a significant impact at the Kerala box office, and across all territories that it was released as well. This film put Nivin in the 100 crore club. He came together with Shyamaprased for a third time for the romantic-comedy Hey Jude (film). Nivin plays the role of a mathematical genius, yet socially awkward Jude who like his namesake Beatles song finds himself in spite of his perceived shortcomings.

In 2019, Nivin played the role of Dr Mikhael John in Haneef Adeni's action-thriller Mikhael. This was followed by Love Action Drama, a romantic comedy which also saw commercial success at the box office. Nivin next appeared in Geetu Mohandas' film Moothon which was screened at several international film festivals worldwide including Toronto International Film Festival, New York Indian Film Festival, FFAST (Paris), Indian Film Festival of Melbourne and Mumbai Film Festival. He won the award for the best actor at the New York Indian Film Festival for his role in Moothon. Nivin portrayed the dark and demoralising world of Moothon as Akbar which fetched him the Kerala State Film Awards – Special Mention in 2019. The film was the screened as the opening film at the Mumbai Film Festival Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image and as the grand finale at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. Nivin's role as Akbar in this film was also featured in Film Companion's 100 Greatest Performances of the Decade.

In 2021, he starred in Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval's Kanakam Kaamini Kalaham, a family drama with satire and absurd-comedies elements.

Recent work and career fluctuations (2022–present)

The fantasy film Mahaveeryar was Nivin's first release of the year directed by Abrid Shine and was released on 21 July 2022, to critical acclaim. However, the film underperformed at the box office. The climax of the film was later changed, which was better received by the audience. The teaser of Mahaveeryar garnered 6 million views within 24 hours of its launch making it the then most viewed teaser in Malayalam cinema. His next film, action thriller Padavettu, an action thriller directed by debutant Liju Krishna had its theatrical release on 21 October 2022, to critical acclaim from the critics but didn't performed well at the box office. The trailer of Padavettu was launched to a full house at the inaugural match of the Indian Super League 2022 at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kochi; making it the first film to have the trailer launch at the ISL. This was followed by the comedy drama Saturday Night, directed by Rosshan Andrrews, which released on 4 November 2022. It received largely negative reviews from both the critics and audience, alike, and failed at the box office. In 2023, Nivin appeared on screen as Mattanchery Moidu in Rajeev Ravi's film Thuramukham. Though it opened to mixed reviews, Nivin was praised for his sublime performance. Then he appeared in Ramachandra Boss & Co which received negative reviews and ended up as a box office bomb.

In 2024, he starred in the film Varshangalkku Shesham directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan In which he had a cameo appearance as Nithin Molly which received widespread praise from the audience for his performance and was a hit at the box office and his next film Malayalee from India, directed by Dijo Jose Antony was released to mixed reviews from critics and audiences was underperformed at box office.

After a series of commercial setbacks, he made a huge comeback with the Christmas 2025 release Sarvam Maya, directed by Akhil Sathyan, the son of Sathyan Anthikad. It received generally positive reviews and became a huge commercial success, grossing over 145 crores worldwide and marking a revival in his career.{{Cite News |date=2025-12-23|title='Sarvam Maya' box office collections day 28: Nivin Pauly film collects 38 lakhs ; OTT announcement fails to slow run

His next film Baby Girl released on 23 January 2026. His next projects are the Tamil film, Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malai, directed by Ram, Action Hero Biju 2, Gangster of Mundanmala, Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, Shekara Varma Rajavu, and the LCU entry Benz. He has also announced a new project titled Dear Students, which will be produced under his home banner.

In the media

Following his appearance in Premam, Nivin was chosen as the Most Desirable Man of 2015 by Kochi Times.

In early 2017, Nivin appeared as himself in the short film "No Go Tell" directed by Jude Anthany Joseph. This viral film was vetted by the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights and focuses on creating awareness among children about sexual abuse and child body safety.

Nivin was also part of the Kerala Strikers team in the Celebrity Cricket League. In addition, he was named the youth ambassador of the Kerala Blasters for the third edition of the Indian Super League.

Philanthropy and services

Nivin was noted for his contributions during the unprecedented floods of 2018 in Kerala. He visited relief camps in his hometown of Aluva and arranged basic necessities for the flood-affected people. He also met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to hand over his donation towards the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF).

He was also in the news for the "On-Call" campaign, where he called and spoke to patients and healthcare workers during the lockdown, encouraging and thanking the latter for their selfless service.

Nivin was also a part of the launch of the "Drug-Free Kerala" campaign of the Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau (VACB) against corruption and narcotic substances

Personal life

Nivin married his college sweetheart, Rinna Joy, on 28th August 2010, at St. Dominic's Church in Aluva. They were classmates at the Federal Institute of Science and Technology. The couple has a son and a daughter. He currently lives with his family in Kochi.

Filmography

Films

• All films are in Malayalam, unless otherwise noted.

Short films

Web series

As a producer

• All films are in Malayalam, produced under Nivin Pauly's home banner Pauly Jr. Pictures unless otherwise noted.

Music videos

Story idea

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Nivin Pauly

Notes

References

References

1. (16 May 2017). "Nivin Pauly's unstoppable rise: How he went from guy-next-door to bonafide superstar". [[Firstpost]].
2. (31 May 2015). "Malayalam cinema's Man of the Moment". [[The Hindu]].
3. (28 January 2016). "Nivin is back in action".
4. (16 January 2017). "Winners list: 61st Idea Filmfare Awards (South)".
5. Kerala Chalachitra Academy. (10 August 2015). "State Film Award 2014". Keralafilm.com.
6. "State Awards: Nazriya, Nivin, Sudev bag top honours".
7. (19 June 2017). "Winners: 64th Jio Filmfare Awards 2017 (South)". Times of India.
8. (2020-10-13). "Kerala State Film Awards 2020 Winners List: 'Vasanthi' is Best Film, Suraj Venjaramoodu Declared Best Actor".
9. (15 June 2015). "Nivin Pauly Super Darling". [[Vanitha]].
10. (13 October 2012). "...Man of the MOMENT". [[The Hindu]].
11. (28 June 2012). "In his dream world". [[The Hindu]].
12. "'I haven't committed to any more romantic roles'". Rediff.
13. (29 June 2012). "In his dream world". [[The Hindu]].
14. Vijay George. (14 January 2011). "Unravelling a mystery". [[The Hindu]].
15. (20 May 2011). "All in the game". [[The Hindu]].
16. "Nivin Pauly on a ğhigh". [[The Times of India]].
17. "Nivin Pauly signs his first Tamil film!".
18. "Nivin Pauly in Aashiq Abu's next". [[The Times of India]].
19. "'I haven't committed to any more romantic roles'".
20. (19 April 2021). "Entertainment News – Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, TV Entertainment News, Celebrity Gossips".
21. "My son is my lucky charm: Nivin". [[The Times of India]].
22. "English Movie Review {3/5}: Critic Review of English by Times of India".
23. (13 February 2013). "Nivin Pauly and Anoop Menon in 1983".
24. "Nivin Pauly: Lesser known facts".
25. "Winners of 62nd Britannia Filmfare Awards South".
26. "SIIMA Awards 2015 winners".
27. "Ohm Shanthi Oshaana".
28. (4 November 2017). "Funny, real, and surprising: Why "Bangalore Days" is a rare urban entertainer".
29. "Mili is a motivational film: Rajesh Pillai". [[The Times of India]].
30. Roktim Rajpal. (16 December 2015). "Prabhas' "Bahubali" to Jyothika's '36 Vayadhinile': Southern films that turned out to be the biggest surprises of 2015".
31. Deepa Gauri. (11 June 2015). "Nivin Pauly: Man of the season".
32. (24 June 2015). "I always wanted to be a star". Rediff.com.
33. (21 November 2019). "16 Malayali actors among Indian cinema's 100 greatest performances of the decade!".
34. "Nivin turns producer with Action Hero Biju".
35. "Superintendent of police all praise for "Action Hero Biju"".
36. (10 February 2016). "Appreciation from celebrities pouring in for Action Hero Biju".
37. (8 April 2017). "Nivin Pauly to play double role in Sakhavu".
38. (8 December 2017). ""Richie" review: A gangster tale". [[The Hindu]].
39. (13 September 2017). "Nivin Pauly's "Njandukalude Naattil Oridavela" wins the Onam race".
40. "Nivin Pauly emerges winner at the Onam Box-Office".
41. (3 October 2017). "Cancer is never the end of the road".
42. "'Kayamkulam Kochunni' in Rs 100-crore club".
43. (3 February 2018). ""Hey Jude" is a rom-com: Shyamaprasad". [[The Hindu]].
44. ""Ittymaani" and "Love Action Drama" leads the Onam box office race!".
45. (17 September 2019). "Nivin Pauly: Response for Moothon at TIFF was phenomenal".
46. (4 August 2020). ""Moothon", "Son Rise" win awards at 20th New York Indian Film Festival". [[The Hindu]].
47. (31 January 2020). ""Moothon" was inaugural film at FFAST, Paris".
48. "Geetu Mohandas ''Moothon'' to bring curtains down on IFFM 2020".
49. (19 October 2019). "Mumbai Film Festival Opens with Malayalam Title, Geethu Mohandas' Moothon".
50. (3 August 2020). "New York Indian Film Festival 2020: Nivin Pauly wins Best Actor for Geetu Mohandas' film Moothon-Entertainment News".
51. (9 November 2019). "Moothon movie review: Nivin Pauly delivers in this dark existential drama".
52. "50th Kerala State Film Awards Winners: Suraj Venjaramoodu, Kani Kusruti and Lijo Jose Pellissery win big".
53. (31 October 2020). ""Moothon" was concluding film at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne".
54. "കനകം കാമിനി കലഹം; ടീസർ മേക്കിങ് വിഡിയോ".
55. "Mahaveeryar review: This Nivin Pauly-starrer is worth a watch".
56. "Nivin Pauly’s time travel movie ‘Mahaveeryar’ gets an OTT release date". [[The Times of India]].
57. "Nivin Pauly – Asif Ali starrer "Mahaveeryar" teaser crosses 6 million views in record time". [[The Times of India]].
58. "Nivin Pauly starrer ‘Padavettu’ gets an OTT release date". [[The Times of India]].
59. (2 September 2022). "Nivin Pauly looks fierce and intense in this promising Padavettu teaser".
60. (24 May 2022). "Nivin Pauly-starrer "Padavettu" to release in September".
61. (8 October 2022). "Trailer of Nivin Pauly- "Padavettu" released before "Yellow Army"".
62. "Saturday Night Movie: Showtimes, Review, Trailer, Posters, News & Videos {{!}} eTimes". [[The Times of India]].
63. (7 November 2022). "'Saturday Nights' to 'Kooman': Malayalam movies to hit theatres in November".
64. "‘Ramachandra Boss& Co.’ box office collections day 11: Nivin Pauly starrer mints only Rs 4.55 crores". [[The Times of India]].
65. (2024-03-15). "Varshangalkku Shesham teaser: Pranav Mohanlal, Dhyan Sreenivasan to shine in Vineeth Sreenivasan's period comedy {{!}} Malayalam News - The Indian Express".
66. (2024-04-29). "'Malayalee From India' teaser: Nivin Pauly intrigues in an intense avatar". The Hindu.
67. "Nivin Pauly's Baby Girl release date confirmed". [[Cinema Express]].
68. (5 October 2021). "Director Ram's next starring Nivin Pauly and Anjali starts rolling".
69. (11 October 2021). "Interesting upcoming films of Nivin Pauly to look out, Times of India".
70. "Nivin Pauly's next film titled "Shekhara Varma Rajavu" releases an exciting title poster". [[The Times of India]].
71. (31 March 2022). "Dear Students: Nivin Pauly Announces New Film with Debutant Directors Sandeep Kumar and George Philip Roy (View Poster)".
72. "Kochi Times Most Desirable Man 2015: Nivin Pauly". [[The Times of India]].
73. (21 April 2017). "Nivin Pauly's short film No Go Tell is about keeping our children safe".
74. (26 April 2017). "No Go Tell: Nivin Pauly's short film on child abuse is a hit on the internet". [[India Today]].
75. (24 April 2017). "'No, Go, Tell': Watch actor Nivin Pauly talk to children about child body safety".
76. "Kerala Strikers Have the Last Laugh in CCL Match". [[The New Indian Express]].
77. "CCL Season 6: Mohanlal to Lead Kerala Strikers". [[The New Indian Express]].
78. "Nivin Pauly named Kerala Blasters youth ambassador".
79. (29 August 2018). "Nivin Pauly donates Rs 25 lakhs to Chief Minister's relief fund".
80. (18 August 2018). "Kerala floods: Nivin Pauly asks for help, says they are 'hopelessly stranded'".
81. (29 August 2018). "Nivin Pauly donates Rs 25 lakh to CM's relief fund".
82. "Nivin Pauly calls patients and health workers as part of Youth Congress' on-call campaign".
83. (18 October 2022). "Chief Minister launches corruption-free Kerala campaign". [[The Hindu]].
84. "It's a baby girl for nivin pauly".
85. (2 March 2017). "Nivin Pauly Marriage Photos".
86. "Nivin is a Family Man". The New Indian Express.
87. "St. Dominic Catholic Church, Aluva". Syro-Malabar Church.
88. "My son is my lucky charm: Nivin". The Times O India.
89. "'Nivin is a Family Man'". The New Indian Express.
90. "Review: Malarvady Arts Club". Rediff.
91. (10 May 2014). "Traffic ended with Nivin Pauly, now "Mili" starts with him.".
92. (2 August 2015). "Rise of a dark horse". Deccan Herald.
93. (22 May 2012). "Could this be Nivin, Hemanth's big break?". The Times of India.
94. "Thattathin Marayathu – The Times of India". The Times of India.
95. "Bhoopadathil Illatha Oridam".
96. "Movie Review: Puthiya Theerangal".
97. (16 December 2012). "Well-knit script makes Chapters a notable venture". [[The Hindu]].
98. "Review: Da Thadiya is emotional yet entertaining".
99. (10 May 2015). "Happy times ahead". [[The Hindu]].
100. "Saiju Kurup turns script writer for 'My Fan Ramu'". Ibnlive.in.com.
101. (25 May 2013). "Shyamaprasad's London produced film "English" released in India".
102. (18 January 2013). "Isha is all praise for Nivin". [[The Times of India]].
103. "Arikil Oraal". The Times of India.
104. (31 January 2014). "1983 Movie Review – A Real Entertainer!".
105. "Om Shanti Oshana Movie Review". [[Sify]].
106. (1 June 2014). "Bangalore Days-Review". [[The Times of India]].
107. (16 September 2014). "I'm very close to Dulquer: Nivin". The Times of India.
108. "Nivin Pauly starts shooting for Mili !". The Times Of India.
109. (30 March 2015). "Review: Oru Vadakkan Selfie is an enjoyable film".
110. "Ivide".
111. "Review: Premam".
112. "Nivin turns producer with Action Hero Biju". [[The Times of India]].
113. Gautaman Bhaskaran. (10 April 2016). "Jacobinte Swargarajyam review: Natural performances add to its appeal". [[Hindustan Times]].
114. (4 September 2016). "Sachin Warrier turns music director". [[Deccan Chronicle]].
115. "Sakhavu Movie Review". The Times of India.
116. (1 September 2017). "Nivin Pauly Movie Njandukalude Naattil Oridavela Review Rating – Live Audience Reports".
117. (12 June 2016). "Nivin Pauly's debut Tamil film gets a title".
118. (7 July 2017). "Nivin-Trisha movie "Hey Jude" starts rolling in Goa". The Times of India.
119. (30 November 2018). "Nivin Pauly's Kayamkulam Kochunni makes it to Rs 100 crore club".
120. (4 September 2018). "Nivin Pauly film "Mikhael" puja held at Kakkanad". [[The Times of India]].
121. "Nivin Pauly to shed weight for ''Love Action Drama''-". [[The New Indian Express]].
122. "50th Kerala State Film Awards Winners: Suraj Venjaramoodu, Kani Kusruti and Lijo Jose Pellissery win big".
123. (11 October 2021). "Kanakam Kamini Kalaham".
124. "Mahaveeryar Movie Review: It is the best of times".
125. (29 November 2022). "Padavettu movie review: Nivin Pauly and the case of the vague wanderings".
126. (4 November 2022). "Saturday Night movie review: This Nivin Pauly starrer is a huge disappointment".
127. (28 February 2023). "After many delays, Nivin Pauly's Thuramukham gets release date".
128. (13 July 2023). "'Varshangalkku Shesham': Vineeth Sreenivasan brings together an ensemble cast for his next". [[The Hindu]].
129. (25 December 2023). "Nivin Pauly's film with Dijo Jose Antony titled 'Malayalee From India'". [[The Hindu]].
130. (1 July 2025). "Nivin Pauly's film with Akhil Sathyan titled Sarvam Maya, first look out". [[Cinema Express]].
131. (15 April 2025). "Nivin Pauly begins shoot for 'Baby Girl'; celebrates Vishnu on set". [[Onmanorama]].
132. (14 April 2022). "Nivin Pauly feels "mixed emotions" as he announces wrap up of his comeback Tamil film; Shares pics from sets".
133. (4 January 2025). "Nivin Pauly, Nayanthara's Malayalam film 'Dear Students' to hit theatres in 2025". [[Onmanorama]].
134. (4 June 2025). "It's Official: Nivin Pauly joins Lokesh Kanagaraj's LCU with dual role in Raghava Lawrence starrer Benz".
135. (27 December 2025). "Nivin Pauly-B Unnikrishnan film wrapped up".
136. M I, Ramsunder. (August 16, 2025). "'Dear Students' Teaser Takes the Internet by Storm! Nivin Pauly & Nayanthara Reunite for a Complete Entertainer.". India Glitz.
137. (20 October 2023). "Nivin Pauly to Make His OTT Debut with This Disney+Hotstar Web Series".
138. (18 October 2023). "Nivin Pauly set for OTT debut with Disney+ Hotstar series Pharma".
139. (4 July 2017). "Nivin Pauly's "Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela" to be an Onam release".
140. "Kanakam Kaamini Kalaham opts OTT release, Nivin Pauly-starrer to be the first Malayalam film to premiere on Disney+ Hotstar".
141. "Mahaveeryar: Makers release an exciting first look poster featuring Nivin Pauly and Asif Ali". [[The Times of India]].
142. (7 November 2022). "Nivin Pauly's Thaaram goes on floors".
143. "Nivin Pauly to play a movie star in Thaaram". [[The New Indian Express]].
144. Mullappilly, Sreejith. (2025-08-15). "Dear Students Teaser: Nayanthara plays a cop who confronts Nivin Pauly".
145. Sidhardhan, Sanjith. (6 April 2012). "Make way for Yuvvh". [[The Times of India]].
146. (9 April 2012). "Nenjodu Cherthu from Yuvvh – Another Viral Hit in YouTube". Theater Balcony.
147. (9 January 2016). "Celebrating the spirit of Chennai". [[The Hindu]].
148. (5 February 2016). "Director Alphonse Puthren's "Aviyal" with Nivin Pauly and Bobby Simha".