Gourav Menon is a familiar face to any Malayalee moviegoer, but most people would instinctively recognise him as Jugru from his first film, Philips and the Monkey Pen, as the boy with the ability to think outside the box in any situation. Jugru’s charm has only grown since 2013, becoming an iconic meme used to symbolise an out-of-the-box-thinker.
Though Gourav had won the audience’s favour early on, the state of Kerala and the nation acknowledged this young talent in 2015 by awarding him the Best Child Artist award for the movie Ben.
“I wasn’t expecting anything at first, but then my co-stars appreciated my efforts, saying that my performance was worth a Kerala State Film award. But I still wasn’t convinced. The day my father had informed me that I had won the award, I was left speechless,” said the 12-year-old star.
The film was an adaptation of the real-life story of Ben, a village boy who was uprooted and moved to a city for better education, but unable to cope with the pressure, loses his mind. Gourav prepared for a month with the real-life Ben and other mentally-challenged children, learning their mannerisms and behaviour.
Gourav began his journey at the tender age of six appearing in music videos, then progressing to advertisements, and finally, touching the silver screen by the age of eight.
This young actor has been a part of 27 films till date. Juggling between his studies and acting, he says that his friends and teachers help him a lot, along with his parents, Govindan Menon and Jaya and his brother Gokul, who always want the best for him.