Vivek was an Indian film actor, comedian, television personality, playback singer and activist working in the Tamil film industry. Introduced in films by director K. Balachander, he won 3 Filmfare Best Comedian – Tamil Awards for his performances in movies such as Run (2002), Saamy (2003), Perazhagan (2004) and 5 Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Best Comedian for Unnaruge Naan Irundhal (1999), Run (2002) Parthiban Kanavu (2003), Anniyan (2005) and Sivaji (2007). He has acted more than 220 films. In 2009, Government of India awarded Vivek with the Padma Shri award for his contribution to the arts. Sathyabama University has conferred actor Vivek with an honorary doctorate for his contribution to the society through cinema. As a television personality, Vivek has hosted a number of events and has interviewed media personalities, notably A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. Inspired by Kalam's environmentalism, Vivek founded the Green Kalam initiative in 2010 with the mission of planting one billion trees across Tamil Nadu.