Mohanlal Viswanathan is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam film industry besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Mohanlal has a prolific career spanning over four decades, during which he has acted in more than 400 films. Mohanlal's contributions to the Malayalam cinema have been praised by his contemporaries in the Indian film industry. The Government of India honoured him with Padma Shri in 2001, and Padma Bhushan in 2019, India's fourth and third highest civilian honours, for his contributions to Indian cinema. In 2009, he became the first actor in India to be awarded the honorary rank of lieutenant colonel in the Territorial Army. Mohanlal was named as one of "the men who changed the face of the Indian Cinema" by CNN-News18.
Priyadarshan is an Indian film director and screenwriter who predominantly works in Malayalam and Hindi cinema. He was one of the first directors in India to introduce rich color grading, clear sound and quality dubbing through his early Malayalam films.
Shaji Neelakantan Karun is an Indian film director and cinematographer. His debut film Piravi (1988) won the Caméra d'Or – Mention d'honneur at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. He was the premiere chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, the first academy for film and TV in India and was also the executive chairman of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) from 1998 to 2001. He is best known for his award-winning films Piravi (1988), Swaham (1994), Vanaprastham (1999) and Kutty Srank (2009). He won the National Award for Best Director for his debut film Piravi. He also won two Kerala State Film Awards for Best Director for his films Swaham and Vanaprastham. Currently, he is the Chairman of Kerala State Film Development Corporation.
Jayaram Subramaniam, known mononymously as Jayaram, is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema, in addition to Tamil and Telugu language films. He is also a chenda percussionist, mimicry artist, and occasional playback singer. Jayaram has acted in more than 200 films and has received several awards, including the Padma Shri, two Kerala State Film Awards, one Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, and four Filmfare Awards South.
Irruppam Veedu Sasidaran was an Indian film director who made over 110 films predominantly in Malayalam, in addition to Tamil and Hindi languages. In 2015, he was awarded the J. C. Daniel Award, the highest award in Malayalam cinema. Often described as a pathbreaker, Sasi made his mark during Malayalam cinema’s transformative period from the 1970s to 1990s.
Bhanupriya is an Indian actress, Kuchipudi dancer, and voice artiste. In a career spanning over 4 decades, Bhanupriya has appeared in 155 feature films- predominantly in Tamil & Telugu, in addition to occasional performances in Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films. She has starred in a variety of roles, ranging from slapstick comedy to epic dramas. She has won three state Nandi Awards, two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, two Filmfare Awards South and two Cinema Express Awards.
Radhika Sarathkumar is an Indian actress, director, producer and politician who works predominantly in Tamil and Telugu cinema, TV serials and web series as well as Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada films.
Mukesh Madhavan, known mononymously as Mukesh, is an Indian actor, film producer, television presenter, and politician who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil-language films. In a film career spanning four decades, he has acted in over 275 Malayalam films. His 1996 film Kaanaakkinaavu premiered at the IFFI and won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. He co-produced Kadha Parayumbol (2007), which won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value. He also produced the 2012 film Thattathin Marayathu, which is considered one of the defining films of the Malayalam New Wave.
Ranjith Balakrishnan is an Indian film director, screenwriter, lyricist, producer, and actor who works in Malayalam cinema. Ranjith made his directorial debut in 2001 with Ravanaprabhu, the sequel to Devaasuram. His films Thirakkatha and Indian Rupee won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam in 2008 and 2011 respectively. He is also the current chairman of Kerala State Chalachitra Academy.
Sumathi Josephine, better known by her stage name Rekha Harris, is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Tamil and Malayalam films. She also starred in a few Telugu and Kannada films.She was one of the contestants of Bigg Boss Tamil Season 4.
K. Surendran, better known by his stage name Indrans, is an Indian actor and former costume designer, who appears in Malayalam films. He started his film career as a costume designer and actor in 1981 and got a breakthrough in 1994 with the comedy movie CID Unnikrishnan B.A., B.Ed. Indrans was popular for his comedy roles in the 1990s and 2000s.
George Varghese Kakkanadan, commonly known as Kakkanadan, was an Indian short-story writer and novelist in the Malayalam language. His works broke away from the neo-realism that dominated Malayalam literature through the 1950s and 1960s. He is often credited with laying the foundation of modernism in Malayalam literature. He is a recipient of Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award and Kerala Sahitya Akademi Awards in addition to numerous other awards and recognitions.
Cinema Express Awards are presented annually by Indian Express Group on behalf of Cinema Express film magazine to honour artistic excellence of professionals in the south Indian film industry which comprises Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam film industries. The awards were introduced in 1981. From 1987 the awards were extended to many categories.
Manasukkul Mathappu is a 1988 Indian Tamil-language film written and directed by Robert–Rajasekar. The film stars Prabhu, Saranya and Lissy, with Sarath Babu and Senthamarai in supporting roles. It is a remake of the 1986 Malayalam film Thalavattam which was inspired by the 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest which in turn was an adaptation of the 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. The film was released on 24 June 1988 and Prabhu won the Cinema Express Award for Best Actor – Tamil.
Illam (transl. Home) is a 1988 Indian Tamil-language film directed by I. V. Sasi, starring Sivakumar and Amala. It is a remake of the Malayalam film Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam (1986). The film was released on 12 August 1988.
The 62nd National Film Awards ceremony was an event during which the Directorate of Film Festivals presents its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2014 in the Indian cinema. The awards were announced on 24 March 2015 and the ceremony was held on 3 May 2015.
Thomas Joseph was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature. He received Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story in 2013 for his work, Marichavar Cinema KaanukayaaNu. He was also a recipient of SBT Literary Award, Delhi Short Story Award, K. A. Kodungallore Award, V. P. Sivakumar memorial Keli Award and the Children's literary institute Award. He died on 29 July 2021, at the age of 67.
Paasa Paravaigal is a 1988 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Cochin Haneefa and written by M. Karunanidhi, with music by Ilaiyaraaja. The film stars Sivakumar, Lakshmi, Mohan and Radhika. It is a remake of Haneefa's own 1986 Malayalam film Moonnu Masangalku Mumbu. The film was released on 29 April 1988 and became a commercial success. It won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Second Best Film, and Radhika won the Best Actress at Cinema Express Awards.
Cinema Express was an Indian Tamil-language entertainment fortnightly magazine published from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was a part of The New Indian Express Group, which also publishes Samakalika Malayalam Vaarika weekly as well as Dinamani and Kannada Prabha newspapers. The Cinema Express brand is now used for the film industry coverage of The New Indian Express regardless of language.
