Kay Kay Menon Explained

Kay Kay Menon
Birth Name:Krishna Kumar Menon
Birth Date:2 October 1966
Birth Place:Kozhikode, Kerala, India
Education:University of Pune
Occupation:Actor
Years Active:1995–present
Spouse:Nivedita Bhattacharya

Krishna Kumar "Kay Kay" Menon (born 2 October 1966[1]) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Hindi cinema, and few in Gujarati, Tamil, Marathi and Telugu. He is best known for his roles in films such as Black Friday (2004), Deewar (2004), Sarkar (2005), Shaurya (2008), Gulaal (2009), Haider (2014), Baby (2015). He has starred in web series such as Special Ops, Farzi and The Railway Men.

Early life

Menon was born into a Malayalam speaking family in Kozhikode, Kerala and raised in Ambarnath and Pune, Maharashtra, India.[1] He studied at the St. Joseph High School in Khadki, Pune.[2] He passed his 10th grade in 1981. He did his Bachelors (Physics) from Mumbai University[1] and his MBA from Department of Management Sciences (PUMBA) at the University of Pune,[1] graduating in 1988 with a major in Marketing. Menon's initial focus was working in the advertising industry,[1] including Kinetic Honda and Marlboro cigarette advertisements in India.

Career

He started his career in theatre productions where he met Nivedita Bhattacharya, whom he married. His first theatre break was opposite Naseeruddin Shah in Feroz Abbas Khan's Mahatma vs Gandhi.[3]

In the early years of his career, Menon worked on television, with roles in the TV movies Zebra 2 and Last Train To Mahakali. He also appeared in Telefilms of Zee TV Rishtey (Ward no. 6) and Saturday Suspense episodes. He was praised for his role as a young Prime Minister in the Zee TV series Pradhan Mantri (2001), directed by Ketan Mehta. In The Hindu, Sevanti Ninan wrote, "an actor to watch: Kay Kay Menon ... this unusually tall actor who plays the pradhan mantri is a major saving grace"[4] while in The Tribune, Amita Malik commented, "excellent acting by Menon, who skilfully conveys the physical as well as mental image of the honest politician".[5]

Menon made his big screen debut with a small role in Naseem (1995), followed in 1999 by the lead role in Bhopal Express,[3] a movie that went mostly unnoticed. This was the first in a series of initial setbacks in Menon's film career. In the early 2000s, he starred as a wicked rock musician in Anurag Kashyap's debut movie, Paanch, which struggled with censorship and has remained unreleased.[6] [7] Two other movies, Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and Black Friday, had to wait many years for a release date. Meanwhile, his commercial films Deewar (starring Amitabh Bachchan) and Silsiilay (with Shahrukh Khan) flopped at the box office. It was only in 2005, with the eventual release of the critically acclaimed Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, but with Ram Gopal Varma's Sarkar, Menon had his break.[6] Sarkar earned him a nomination for the Best Performance in a Negative Role at the Filmfare Awards. In The Tribune, Saibal Chatterjee called him "one of Bollywood's finest actors".[6]

In 2007, he acted in Life in a... Metro, Enemmy (2013), and Rahasya (2015), as an adulterous husband. In 2008, he appeared in Shaurya[8] [9] based on A Few Good Men . His portrayal of a ruthless army brigadier is still talked of among cinema lovers.[10] [11] In 2009, he starred in The Stoneman Murders where he played a police officer on the hunt for the Stoneman serial killer.[12] He played the role of Dukki Bana in Gulaal.

His role as Khurram Mir in 2014's Haider bagged him a Filmfare and IIFA award for Best Supporting Actor.He played a very crucial role in The Ghazi Attack as a Naval Captain based on an Indian Naval submarine, S21, intercepts a Pakistani submarine, PNS Ghazi, during routine surveillance and thwarts its mission of destroying in 1971. He played a role as Vikram Singh in 2019's Penalty with co-actor Mohit Nain.

He impressed and gained more popularity with a role as Himmat Singh in 2020's Special Ops - a web series for Hotstar. In 2021, he again played the young version of Himmat Singh (R&AW leading officer) in Special Ops 1.5, the prequel part of Special Ops. OTT viewers admired his performance in this series.[13] Following the resounding success of espionage thriller Special Ops, Hotstar Specials is set to ring in a new form of storytelling with the launch of ‘Special Ops Universe’, created and conceptualized by film-maker Neeraj Pandey and Friday Storytellers.

Filmography

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1995 Naseem Islamic fundamentalist Debut film
1999 Bhopal Express Verma
2002 Chhal Karan Menon
2003 Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi Siddharth Tyabji Released in theaters in 2005[14]
2004 Black Friday Released in theaters in 2007[15]
Deewaar Sohail Miyaan
Silsiilay Anwar Ahmed Bhoy
2005 Sarkar Vishnu Nagare Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role
Dansh Mathew
Main, Meri Patni Aur Woh Akash
Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena Kaif
2006 Corporate Ritesh Sahani Nominated—GIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor
Shoonya Mahendra Naik
2007 Strangers Sanjeev Rai
Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. Partho Sen
Life in a... Metro Ranjit Kapoor Nominated—IIFA Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role
Go Nagesh Rao
2008 Sarkar Raj Vishnu Nagare
Maan Gaye Mughal-e-Azam Haldi Hasan
Mumbai Meri Jaan Suresh
Via Darjeeling Ankur Sharma
Shaurya Brigadier Rudra Pratap Singh
Sirf Gaurav
Drona Riz Razaida
2009 The Stoneman Murders Sanjay Shelar
Gulaal Dukey Bana
Aage se right Janubhai/Baima Rashidul Kairi
Sankat City Guru
2010 Tera Kya Hoga Johnny Inspector Shashikant Chiple
Lafangey Parindey Anna
Benny And Babloo Benny
2011 Bheja Fry 2 Ajit Talwar
Bhindi Bazaar Shroff
2012 Chaalis Chouraasi Albert Pinto
Life Ki Toh Lag GayiSalman
ShahidWar saab
2013 Enemmy:CID Officer Naeem Shaikh
Jehangir Khan
Udhayam NH4 ACP Manoj Menon IPS Tamil film
Ankur Arora Murder Case Dr. Viren Asthana
2014 Raja Natwarlal Vardha Yadav
Haider Khurram Meer Won—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor[16] Won—IIFA Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role

Nominated—BIG Star Entertainment Awards for Most Entertaining Actor in a Thriller Film – Male

Nominated—IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor

Nominated—Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor

Nominated—Screen Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role

Nominated—Producers Guild Film Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role

Nominated—Stardust Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role

2015 Baby Bilal Khan
Rahasya CBI Officer Sunil Paraskar
Bombay Velvet Investigative Officer Vishwas Kulkarni
Singh Is Bliing Mark
2016 A Flying Jatt Mr. Rakesh Malhotra
Saat Uchakkey Tejpal
2017 The Ghazi Attack Captain Ranvijay Singh Telugu and Hindi
2018 Dhaad Ghelo Gujarati
[17] released 17 years after being shot
Vodka Diaries ACP Ashwini Dixit
Baa Baaa Black Sheep ACP Shivraj Naik
The Dark Side of Life: Mumbai CitySumit Balsaria
Phamous Kadak Singh
Ek SangaychayMarathi film
2019PenaltyVikram SinghNetflix film
2021ShaadisthanTiger Ji/RajajiDisney+ Hotstar
2023Love AllSiddharth Sharma [18]

Television

Year Show EpisodesRole
1995-1996DarrInspector Avinash
1999Star Bestsellers - Zebra 2Captain Rajeev
1999Star Bestsellers - Last Train to MahakaliSir
1997-99Saturday Suspense 12(Woh Kaun Thi?), 16(The Assassin),

18(On the Run),

42(Breaking News),

68(Friends),

104(Beyond Truth)

Inspector VaaliJames Mathew

Aakash(Serial Killer)

Amar Rathore

Krishna Pandit

COP Ankush

2000Rishtey - Ward No. 6111Doctor Rajat
2001Pradhan MantriPM Anirudh Prakash
2005Time Bomb 9/11Prime Minister of India
2014YudhMunicipal Commissioner

Streaming series

YearTitle RolePlatformNotes
2018 The Great Indian Dysfunctional Family Vikram RanautALTBalaji
2020Special OPS Himmat SinghDisney Plus Hotstar
2021RayInderashish[19] Netflix
Himmat SinghDisney Plus Hotstar
2023FarziMansoor DalalAmazon Prime Video
Bambai Meri JaanIsmail Kadri
The Railway MenIftekaar SiddiquiNetflix
2024Shekhar HomeShekhar HomeJioCinema[20]
Murshid (Indian TV series)Murshid PathanZEE5[21]
Amazon Prime Video

Short film(s)

YearTitle
2019 Sparsh
2019 The Last Chapter

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kay Kay Menon: I take my work seriously, not myself. Gupta. Priya. The Times of India. 29 September 2014. 2016-09-09. 3 April 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160403103206/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Kay-Kay-Menon-I-take-my-work-seriously-not-myself/articleshow/438 I11099.cms. live.
  2. Web site: Pune is like Mumbai now, says Kay Kay Menon. Ravi. Shruti. The Times of India. 19 January 2012. 2016-09-09. 18 May 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170518015230/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Pune-is-like-Mumbai-now-says-Kay-Kay-Menon/articleshow/11536773.cms. live.
  3. News: Kay Kay Menon: I take my work seriously, not myself. The Times of India. Priya. Gupta. 30 September 2014. 29 November 2015. 3 April 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160403103206/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Kay-Kay-Menon-I-take-my-work-seriously-not-myself/articleshow/43811099.cms. live.
  4. News: Melodrama with a K. The Hindu. Sevanti. Ninan. 22 April 2001. 23 July 2021. An actor to watch: Kay Kay Menon in "Pradhan Mantri". While the cynicism in this serial continues to be overstated through the second episode, this unusually tall actor who plays the pradhan mantri is a major saving grace. His lines could be better, but he mouths them with conviction. Looks like he will have to carry this serial on his shoulders.. subscription. 23 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210723204002/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-miscellaneous/tp-others/melodrama-with-a-k/article27929796.ece. live.
  5. News: Mantris in tough competition. The Tribune. Amita. Malik. 27 April 2001. 30 November 2015. 4 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081341/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010427/art-trib.htm. live.
  6. News: A man among boys. The Tribune. Saibal. Chatterjee. 28 August 2005. 30 November 2015. 4 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081224/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050828/spectrum/main5.htm. live.
  7. Seven reasons why Anurag Kashyap is the 'ugliest' filmmaker. India Today. Vipra . Shrivastava. 26 December 2014. 29 November 2015.
  8. Web site: Review: Shaurya. www.rediff.com. 23 July 2021. 14 October 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181014210759/http://www.rediff.com/movies/2008/apr/04shaurya.htm. live.
  9. Web site: Masand's Verdict: Shaurya « Rajeev Masand – movies that matter : from bollywood, hollywood and everywhere else. 23 July 2021. 23 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210723203549/http://rajeevmasand.com/admin/uncategorized/masands-verdict-shaurya/. live.
  10. Web site: 'Drona reminded me of my childhood'. www.rediff.com. 23 July 2021. 23 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210723203549/https://www.rediff.com/movies/2008/oct/01kay.htm. live.
  11. Web site: 'Drona' makers spend a fortune on villain. 13 September 2008. DNA India. 23 July 2021. 23 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210723203547/https://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-drona-makers-spend-a-fortune-on-villain-1189835. live.
  12. Web site: The Stoneman Murders (Hindi) . 2009-02-28 . Vijayakar . Rajiv . 2009-02-20 . Screen India . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090225041943/http://www.screenindia.com/news/the-stoneman-murders-hindi/425145/ . 25 February 2009 .
  13. Web site: "Special ops 1.5" . 2021-11-12 . Disney+ Hotstar . 14 November 2021 . 14 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211114134734/https://www.hotstar.com/in/tv/special-ops-15/1260071971 . live .
  14. News: Hazaaron Revisited. https://web.archive.org/web/20131021053350/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1131018/jsp/t2/story_17464670.jsp . dead . 21 October 2013 . The Telegraph. 18 October 2013. 30 November 2015.
  15. News: Moving beyond art. https://web.archive.org/web/20090131092743/http://telegraphindia.com/1090125/jsp/graphiti/story_10436021.jsp . dead . 31 January 2009 . The Telegraph. 25 January 2009. 30 November 2015.
  16. News: 1 February 2015. Queen and Haider rule at Filmfare awards. The National. 29 November 2015. 14 November 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151114153248/http://www.thenational.ae/arts-lifestyle/queen-and-haider-rule-at-filmfare-awards. live.
  17. News: After 17 years, Gujarati film Dhaad starring Nandita Das set for release. The Week. 5 January 2018. Nandini. Oza. 8 March 2018. 11 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180811200310/https://www.theweek.in/news/entertainment/after-17-years-gujarati-film-dhaad-set-for-release.html. live.
  18. Web site: Love All Movie: Review and Story . 2023-09-26 . Kissu . en.
  19. News: 2021-06-09. 'Ray' trailer: Netflix anthology is a tribute to the master filmmaker. en-IN. The Hindu. 2021-06-16. 0971-751X. 13 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210613151715/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/ray-trailer-netflix-anthology-is-a-tribute-to-the-master-filmmaker/article34767440.ece. live.
  20. Web site: Kay Kay Menon-starrer detective series ‘Shekhar Home’ gets premiere date . The Hindu . en-IN . 1 August 2024.
  21. Web site: Kay Kay Menon’s series ‘Murshid’ trailer out; show to be out on August 30. The Hindu . en-IN . 21 August 2024.