Sadhu Kokila Height, Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Real name	Sahaya Sheelan Shadrach [1]Deccan Herald
Other names	Kokila Sadhu, Sadhu Maharaj
Profession(s)	Actor, Director, Producer, Musician, Composer, Comedian, Screenwriter, and Lyricist
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 170 cm in meters- 1.70 m in feet & inches- 5’ 7”
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Career
Debut	Film: Sorry (1992) Composer: Shhh! (1993) Director: Raktha Kanneeru (2003) Producer: 90 (2011)
Awards, Honours, Achievements	• 2004–05, Karnataka State Film Awards in the category of Best Music Director for the Kannada film Rakshasa. • 2007–08, Karnataka State Film Awards in the category of Best Music Director for the Kannada film Inthi Ninna Preethiya. • 2011, South Indian International Movie Awards in the category Best Comedian for the Kannada film Hudugaru • 2012, South Indian International Movie Awards in the category Best Comedian for the Kannada film Yaare Koogadali • 2016: IIFA Utsavam in the category Best Performance In A Comic Role for the Kannada film Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari
Personal Life
Date of Birth	24 March 1966 (Thursday )
Age (as of 2024)	58 Years
Birthplace	Bangalore, Mysore State (now Karnataka), India
Zodiac sign	Aries
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Bengaluru, Karnataka
School	St. Joseph's Indian High School, Bangalore
Food Habit	Non-Vegetarian [2]The New Indian Express
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Affairs/Girlfriends	Not Known
Marriage Date	Year, 1993
Family
Wife/Spouse	Celine
Children	Son- Suraag (Music director) and Srujan (Pianist and trained classical singer) Daughter- None
Parents	Father- Natesh (musician) Mother- Mangala (playback singer)
Siblings	Brother- Layendra Laya (Actor) & 1 more (Name Not Known) Sister- 1 (Name Not Known)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Sadhu Kokila

• Does Sadhu Kokila drink alcohol?: Yes ^[3]The New Indian Express

• Sadhu Kokila is an Indian actor who has predominantly worked in Kannada cinema.

• He grew up in a Christian family in Bengaluru.

• He was inspired by his musician father to follow music as a profession, and at an early age, he started learning the basics of western music. His first music teacher was S J Joseph, the mentor of many legendary musicians including Ilaiyaraaja.

• Sadhu Kokila is a sports enthusiast, and he played football for his school’s under-13 football team; however, due to his short stature, he could not get selected in the state team of Karnataka.

• In 1986, he worked as a rhythm player in the 1986 Doordarshan TV series Malgudi Days. His first work as a keyboard player was in the 1987 Kannada film “Ondu Muttina Kathe.”

• In 1993, he appeared in the Kannada film Shhh! as KungFu Kannan; he also gave the music in the film. After his performance in the film, filmmaker Upendra Rao gave him the stage name ‘Sadhu Kokila.’

• In an interview, while talking about Upendra Rao, he said,
  

  For several of V Manohar’s compositions, I was the music conductor. Upendra had observed my skills. When he planned ‘Shhh!’, Manohar had his hands full so Upendra roped me in as the music director.”

  He added,

  Upendra would crack up by just seeing my face. He felt I should be on the screen. I was hesitant but he forced me to play the kung fu master’s character. My first scene was alongside the great Kashinath. Upendra is my godfather.”

• According to Sadhu Kokila, he learned comedy after watching the shows of Johnny Lever and Charlie Chaplin. He also appeared in a Kannada film alongside Johnny Lever, and since then, they are good friends with each other.
  

  Sadhu Kokila with Johnny Lever

• Later, Sadhu Kokila appeared in many Kannada films like Om (1995), O Mallige (1997), Bombat Halva (1999), Kiladi (2000), and Nagarahavu (2002).

• In 2003, he directed the Kannada film Raktha Kanneeru. Later, he directed many Kannada films including Rakshasa (2005), Suntaragaali (2006), Anatharu (2007), Mr. Theertha (2010), and Police Story 3 (2011).

• He has also composed the music for many Kannada films including Curfew (1994), Mangalya Sakshi (1995), Ibbara Naduve Muddina Aata (1996), Jackie Chan (1997), and Swalpa Adjust Madkolli (2000).

• He has also worked with many popular composers and music directors including M Ranga Rao and L Vaidyanathan.

• In 2009, he worked as a playback singer for the Kannada film Jaaji Mallige. He has also given many stage performances as a singer.

• In 2013, he played the role of Musthafa in the Kannada film Googly; his performance in the film bagged him the nomination for the Best Comedian at SIIMA Awards.
  

• In 2017, he established a film production house, Loop Entertainment, in Bengaluru.

• In 2020, he appeared as a judge in the singing reality TV show “Haadu Karnataka” alongside Indu Nagaraj, Raghu Dixit, V Harikrishna, Varijashree; the show was hosted by former Bigg Boss contestant Chandana Ananthakrishna.

• In 2021, he produced the Kannada TV show Gowripurada Gayalligalu; he also composed the title track of the show.

• Sadhu Kokila is considered one of the fastest keyboard players in India.

• During the second wave of the COVID-19 in India, his nephew also contracted the virus, and reportedly, Sadhu had to struggle a lot to arrange for the oxygen cylinder for his nephew.