Napoleon (actor): Difference between revisions

 

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===Entrepreneurship===

===Entrepreneurship===

[[File:Jeevan Technologies.png|alt=Jeevan Technologies 2008 IIIrd ODC at DLF IT Park|thumb|Jeevan Technologies 2008]]

[[File:Jeevan Technologies.png|alt=Jeevan Technologies 2008 IIIrd ODC at DLF IT Park|thumb|Jeevan Technologies 2008]]

Nepoleon Duraisamy forayed into IT Entrepreneurship and kick started “Jeevan Technologies” IT operations in Chennai, India in the year 2000. Jeevan is a trusted technology transformation partner of enterprises across the globe under his able mentorship.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Management Team |url=http://www.jeevantechnologies.com/about-us/management |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620064008/https://www.jeevantechnologies.com/about-us/management |archive-date=20 June 2021 |access-date=26 March 2021}}</ref>

Nepoleon Duraisamy forayed into IT Entrepreneurship and kick started “Jeevan Technologies” IT operations in Chennai, India in the year 2000.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Management Team |url=http://www.jeevantechnologies.com/about-us/management |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620064008/https://www.jeevantechnologies.com/about-us/management |archive-date=20 June 2021 |access-date=26 March 2021}}</ref>

===Social entrepreneurship===

===Social entrepreneurship===

Indian actor, entrepreneur and former politician (born 1963)

Kumaresan Duraisamy (born 2 December 1963), known professionally by his stage name Napoleon, is an Indian actor, entrepreneur and former politician.^[1] He was the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment in Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh‘s cabinet. He has acted predominately in Tamil films apart from some Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and English movies.^[2]

Napoleon was born as Kumaresan Duraisamy on 2 December 1963 in Tiruchirappali. He graduated from St. Joseph’s College, Trichy.^[3]

In 1993, he married Jayasudha and had two sons: Dhanoosh and Gunal. Dhanoosh was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, which eventually prompted Napoleon and his family to move to America.^[4] Gunal directed the music video for the local LA-based band affengriffon’s “I Just Wanna See You”.^[5]

Napoleon became enthused by the ideologies of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party. He joined the party in which his uncle K. N. Nehru was already a member and at that time the Public Welfare Minister of the state government.^[6]

Napoleon contested the State Assembly elections of 2001, winning the Villivakkam constituency contest and thereby becoming a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu.^[7] He lost his membership in the 2006 elections, when he contested from the Mylapore constituency and was defeated by actor S. Ve. Shekhar. Subsequently, Napoleon nurtured the Perambalur constituency in the hope of becoming a member of parliament for the DMK and succeeded in the 2009 Lok Sabha election. He was then appointed Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment in Union government. Seen as a loyalist of Azhagiri, he was sidelined by DMK after the expulsion of the latter from the party in 2014. He joined the BJP in the presence of party President Amit Shah on 21 December 2014. He was made the party’s state vice-president on 26 November 2015.^[8]

He entered the Tamil film industry in 1991 with Bharathiraja‘s rural film Pudhu Nellu Pudhu Naathu, playing the antagonist role. After the success of Ejamaan (1993), Napoleon went on to play the villain to great effect in Malayalam and Telugu cinema too. He has been praised for his performance and acting in the Malayalam movie Devasuram (1993). Napoleon turned hero on-screen too with Kizhakku Cheemayile (1993) in which he played an anti-hero. After that film, Pratap Pothen gave Seevalaperi Pandi (1994). That film turned out to be a hit.^[9] He was awarded Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for his performance in Ettupatti Rasa (1997).

In 1998, he was awarded the Kalaimamani and MGR Award. From 2000 to 2006, he was appointed as the vice-president of the South Indian Film Artistes Association.

Later after years into film industry, he also got the chance to work as a supporting actor in popular movies such as Pokkiri (2007) and Dasavathaaram (2008).^[10]

Though he settled in Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America, at the insistence of the industry stalwarts, he made his acting comeback with Kidaari (2016). He then went on to portray Gautham Karthik‘s father in Muthuramalingam (2017) replacing Karthik.^[11][12]

After making his Hollywood debut in the supernatural thriller, Devil’s Night: Dawn of the Nain Rouge (2019), he was seen in another American independent film titled Christmas Coupon (2019). Napoleon also announced that he is the only Tamil actor, who had acted in a Hollywood film, which was completely shot in the US.^[13]

Nepoleon Duraisamy forayed into IT Entrepreneurship and kick started “Jeevan Technologies” IT operations in Chennai, India in the year 2000.^[14]

In 2010, Napoleon established Myopathy Unit of Jeevan Foundation, the Institute for Muscular Dystrophy & Research Center. It is a non-profit organization registered under the Tamil Nadu Trust Act.^[15][16]

As singer