Saiju Kurup

Kurup was born to N. Govinda Kurup and Sobhana in Alappuzha district, South Kerala.^{[citation needed]} Although a native of Cherthala, he was brought up in Nagpur,^[2] where he completed his schooling and college education.^[3] He studied engineering in Nagpur.^[4] His father was posted in Kamptee. Following his father's retirement, the family relocated to Cherthala. After returning from Nagpur, Kurup joined Airtel office in Thiruvananthapuram. In 2004, while working there, he met singer M. G. Sreekumar as part of his sales role. Sreekumar, who had recorded a song for the film Mayookham, encouraged him to audition for the lead role. Kurup subsequently auditioned in Chennai and was selected for the role.^[3]

Kurup made his acting debut in a leading role with Mayookham (2005), directed by Hariharan. Approximately a year and a half after the film's release, he resigned from his position at Airtel, though initial opportunities proved limited.^[5] Reflecting on his early performances, Kurup later noted that, "around the time of Mulla (2008), Doubles (2011), and Karmayogi (2012), I learnt to bring what I observed into my performances. That's when I found my rhythm".^[3]

His first breakthrough came with Trivandrum Lodge (2012),^[4] in which he portrayed a comedic character that marked a departure from his earlier roles. He observed that, "until then, I played clean-shaven, shirt-tucked-in characters. But Shibu Vellayini was raw and real, and people connected with him". He played another comedic role in Vedivazhipadu (2013).^[3]

Kurup starred and wrote the screenplay for the 2013 film My Fan Ramu.^[5] He appeared in a dual role in Hotel California (2013).^[6] He later played Pappan, a supportive brotherly figure in the sports drama 1983 (2014).^[3] For his role as an oncologist in Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela (2017), he undertook preparation by consulting a practicing doctor.^[4] In 2018, Deccan Chronicle noted that "very few have been able to carve a niche among the clan of supporting actors in Malayalam cinema where they have been an integral part of the movies as their characters work as adhesives in building up the story line. Saiju Kurup is one among them". His performance as Vijith in Theevandi (2018) received critical acclaim.^[6]

Kurup appeared as Johny Peringodan in Driving Licence (2019).^[3] In 2021, he played the lead role in the crime thriller Guardian.^[4] He played a pivotal role in Meppadiyan (2022), which was a commercial success. He played a psychologist in his first horror film Bhoothakalam (2022), which received positive response. Kurup played the lead role of a circle inspector in the thriller Anthakshari (2022).^[5] In the same year, he starred in the title role as a headstrong thug in Upacharapoorvam Gunda Jayan (2022), produced by Dulquer Salmaan.^[3]

In 2024, Kurup played the lead role in the drama Porattu Nadakam. He also made his television series debut that year with Jai Mahendran on SonyLIV, portraying the titular character, a principled yet astute tahsildar. The same year, he ventured into production with the comedy-drama Bhrathanatyam (2024), in which he also played the lead role. Although the film underperformed at the box office, it later received critical acclaim following its release on streaming platforms. In 2025, he played a leading role alongside Arjun Ashokan in Abhilasham.^[4] In 2025, The New Indian Express observed that Kurup "has built a steady presence in Malayalam cinema — not by chasing stardom, but by consistently turning in performances that resonate".^[3]

Kurup married Anupama B. Nambiar in 2005. She was a personality language development trainer in a multinational company.^[5] The couple have a daughter, Mayookha, and a son, Aftab. The family resides in Panampilly Nagar in Ernakulam district.^[7]