Nelliyode Vasudevan Namboodiri or Nelliyod Vasudevan Namboodiri is a Kathakali

Kathakali

Kathakali is a highly stylized classical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion...

 artiste noted primarily for his vibrant portrayal of the villainous chuvanna thaadi (red beard) roles of the classical dance-drama from Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

 in south India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. A prominent disciple of the late Padma Shri

Padma Shri

Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...

 Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair

Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair

Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair, also spelt Kunju Nair, was a prominent Kathakali exponent of the 20th century and the first principal of Kerala Kalamandalam, the premier performing arts institute of Kerala in south India....

 of the Kalluvazhi tradition, he also excels in pious Kathakali roles like Kuchelan (Sudama

Sudama

Sudama was a childhood friend of Hindu deity Krishna from Mathura, the story of whose visit to Dwaraka to meet Krishna, is mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana...

) besides demonic 'kari' roles like Nakrathundi, Simhika, Soorpanakha and Lanka Lakshmi besides the black-bearded Kaatalan (woodsman). However, primarily Nelliyode is famous for his essaying cruel characters like Kali

Kali

' , also known as ' , is the Hindu goddess associated with power, shakti. The name Kali comes from kāla, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "Time" or "Death" . Hence, Kāli is...

, Trigartan, Dushasanan, Baka

Baka

Baka may refer to:in fictional characters* Bākā, a character from Juken Sentai Gekiranger* Baka Rangers, a group of Negima! Magister Negi Magi characters...

n, Veerabhadra

Veerabhadra

Veerabhadra is a Telugu film released on 29 April 2006 and was directed by AS Ravi Kumar Chowdary. Balakrishna plays the lead role. For the first time, Tanushree Dutta appears in a Telugu film. Sada plays the Second Heroine in the movie.One of the Biggest disasters of Tollywood and Bala krrishna...

n.

A native of Cheranalloor in Ernakulam

Ernakulam

Ernakulam refers to the downtown area or the western part of the mainland of Kochi city in Kerala, India. The city is the most urban part of Kochi and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Ernakulam is called the commercial capital of the state of Kerala and is a main nerve of business in...

 district, Nelliyode joined the PSV Natyasangham in Kottakkal

Kottakkal

Kottakkal is a town and a municipality in Malappuram District in Kerala, south India. It has 32 Wards. The National Highway 17 separates the municipality from Edarikkode Panchayath on some part in the west. It is an Eranadan town located 12 km south-west of Malappuram, the district...

 in 1957 and received training in Kathakali largely under Kunchu Nair. After a teaching stint in Kerala Kalamandalam

Kerala Kalamandalam

Kerala Kalamandalam , lately renamed as Kalamandalam Deemed University of Art and Culture, is a major centre for learning Indian performing arts, especially those that developed in the southern state of India, with the special emphasis on Kerala. It is situated in the village of Cheruthuruthy in...

, he joined as a Kathakali teacher at the Central High School in Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...

.

Possessing deep knowledge in Sanskrit

Sanskrit

Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

 and the Hindu Puranas

Puranas

The Puranas are a genre of important Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography.Puranas...

, Nelliyode is also capable of presenting Patakam, a classical temple art that tests one's oratory calibre as well.

A winner of awards from the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi

Sangeet Natak Akademi

Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.-History:...

 and the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, Nelliyode lives in Poojapura off Thiruvananthapuram.