Arjun Sarja
Arjun Sarja (born 15 August 1964 as Srinivasa Sarja) is an Indian film actor, producer and director known for his works predominantly in Tamil cinema. He was also starred in few Kannada, Malayalam and Telugu films. In 1993, he was starred in S. Shankar's blockbuster Gentleman which opened to positive reviews, while Arjun went on to win the State Award for Best Actor. During this time, he was starred in hits such as Jai Hind (1994), Karnaa (1995), and the crime drama film Kurudhipunal (1995), Arjun won positive acclaim for his role, while the film became India's official entry for the 68th Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film category.
In 1999, he was starred in the political drama film Mudhalvan (1999). Portraying an ambitious TV journalist who receives the opportunity to become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for a day, Arjun offered bulk dates for filming the project to Shankar. The film subsequently won positive reviews with Arjun described as having "acquitted himself with aplomb in the challenging role".
Arjun received the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor for his role as well as numerous other nominations. Arjun then briefly experimented in softer roles with Kannodu Kanbathellam (1999) and as an energetic civil service officer in Vaanavil (2000).