Balakrishnan Nair, more popularly known as Balan K. Nair was an Indian actor known for his roles in Malayalam cinema. Although he appeared as a villain in most films, he was also noted for his performances in strong character roles. He emerged as one of the top villain of Malayalam cinema in the second half of the 1970s and played some of the best villain characters in Malayalam films during that period. He won the National Film Award for Best Actor in 1981 for his performance as Govindan in the film Oppol.
Sreekumar Achary, better known by his stage name Jagathy Sreekumar or simply Jagathy, is an Indian actor, director and playback singer, who has appeared in over 1500 Malayalam films in a career spanning almost four decades. Widely regarded as the greatest comedian in the history of Malayalam cinema, he is also known for his highly nuanced character roles. He is the son of acclaimed dramaturge and writer, the late Jagathy N. K. Achary.
Thoovanathumbikal is a 1987 Indian Malayalam-language romantic drama film written and directed by P. Padmarajan, based partly on his own novel Udakappola. It revolves around Jayakrishnan (Mohanlal) who falls in love with two women; Radha (Parvathy), a distant relative of his, and Clara (Sumalatha), a escort in town.
Govindan Aravindan was an Indian film director, screenwriter, musician, cartoonist, and painter. He was one of the pioneers of parallel cinema in Malayalam. He was known for his unorthodox way of filmmaking; he changed his cinematic forms consistently and experimented in storytelling without regular narrative styles.
Parinayam is a Malayalam language period drama film, directed by Hariharan and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair. The key characters are played by Mohini, Manoj K. Jayan and Vineeth. The film also has a cast of character artists including Thilakan, Nedumudi Venu, Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Jagathy Sreekumar, Sukumari, Jagannatha Varma, Valsala Menon, Bindu Panicker, Bahadoor, and Shanthi Krishna.
Padmadalakshan, better known by his stage name Kuthiravattam Pappu, was a popular Indian stage and film actor. His repertoire of acting was based on his unique style and use of the Kozhikodan dialect, impeccable timing and the capability to grasp the subtle nuances of any character and mould it into his signature "Pappu style". He acted in over a thousand Malayalam films. He made his debut in a small comic role in Bhargavi Nilayam. His character was named Kuthiravattom, a name that stuck for the rest of his career.
Prathapachandran (1941–2004) was an Indian actor, who worked predominantly in Malayalam film industry, though he acted in a few Tamil and Telugu movies as well. He known for the portrayal of villainous and character roles in over 300 movies. He was born in 1941 at Omallur in Thiruvithamkoor princely state, currently within the Pathanamthitta District, Kerala.
Keezhoote Balakrishna Ganesh Kumar is an Indian actor, television host, and politician who is serving as the Minister for Transport of Kerala since December 2023 and previously from 2001 to 2003. He has also served as the Minister for Forests and Environment, Sports and Cinema of Kerala from 2011 to 2013. He is a Member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly representing Pathanapuram since 2001. He is the Chairman of the Kerala Congress (B) party. He made his debut as an actor in the film Irakal (1985) directed by K. G. George. He has starred in over 100 Malayalam films, performing a variety of roles.
Nerariyan CBI is a 2005 Indian Malayalam-language mystery film directed and produced by K. Madhu and written by S. N. Swamy. The fourth installment in the franchise of CBI investigative thrillers, Mammootty reprised the role of Sethurama Iyer, a Central Bureau of Investigation officer, with Mukesh and Jagathy Sreekumar reprising their roles as the associate officers Chacko and Vikram, respectively, and the background score composed by Shyam.
Karamana JanardananNair was a Malayalam film actor, who was active during the 1980s and 1990s. He was especially known for his character roles. He won wide acclaim especially for the role of the protagonist in Adoor Gopalakrishnan's Elippathayam (1981). He notably played the villain role in Pattanapravesham(1988). He played the lead role in the K. G. George directed film Mattoral, supported by Mammootty, which was released in 1988. His last role was as Fr. Paulose in the movie FIR (1999) and died a year later.
Nagarangalil Chennu Raparkam is a 1989 Indian Malayalam-language black comedy film directed by Viji Thampi and written by Ranjith. The film stars Jayaram and Sreenivasan and is partially based on Ruthless People (1986).
Cheriya Lokavum Valiya Manushyarum is a 1990 Indian Malayalam-language comedy caper film directed by Chandrasekharan and written by T. A. Razaq and A. R. Murukesh from a story by Chandrasekharan. The film stars Mukesh, Innocent, Jagathy Sreekumar, Mamukkoya, Thilakan, and Sreeja. Cheriya Lokavum Valiya Manushyarum is the first Malayalam film to mention the psychedelic drug LSD.
Uttarayanam is a 1975 Malayalam-language film directed by G. Aravindan and written by Thikkodiyan. Aravindan debuted with this film. The film, which exposes opportunism and hypocrisy set against the backdrop of the Independence struggle, is inspired by Aravindan's own cartoon series, titled Cheriya Lokavum Valiya Manushyarum, which was published in Mathrubhumi for several years.
Oridathu (1987) is an Indian Malayalam satirical drama film written and directed by G. Aravindan. Nedumudi Venu, Sreenivasan, Thilakan, Vineeth, Krishnankutty Nair, Chandran Nair and Soorya form the cast. The story is about the problems faced by the people of a hamlet where electricity is unavailable when electric supply finally reaches there. The film reaches the conclusion that life is better without electricity. The indefinability of the human mind is the theme of the film. Though the film is discussing a serious issue, the treatment of it is very simplistic. Humour and intensity characterise the film that is set in the mid-fifties. The film is different from many of Aravindan's earlier works in that it deals with a broad range of characters and lacks a clear-cut linear story. It became a major critical success and earned the best director awards for Aravindan at the state and national film awards.
Trivandrum Lodge is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by V. K. Prakash, written by Anoop Menon, and produced by P. A. Sebastian. The film stars Jayasurya, Anoop Menon, and Honey Rose, and features P. Balachandran and P. Jayachandran in supporting roles. Its music is composed by M. Jayachandran and the cinematography is handled by Pradeep Nair. The film is edited by Mahesh Narayanan.
T. P. Madhavan is a former Indian actor who appeared in Malayalam films. He started acting at the age of 40 and so far has acted in more than 600 films. He came into the film industry playing villain roles; later he started doing comedy roles and then switched to character roles.
Thodupuzha Vasanthi was an Indian actress who acted mainly in Malayalam films. She appeared in over 450 movies and also in 16 tele-serials and 100 plays. She was a theater artist, before starting with small roles in movies. Her first full length role was in Kakka in 1982. Some of her most popular films include Yavanika (1982), Poochakkoru Mookkuthi (1984), Nirakkoottu (1985) and Godfather (1991). She was also a dance teacher at Varamani Natyalaya. She underwent treatment for throat cancer before her death on 28 November 2017 at the age of 65.
Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award is an award given by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, an autonomous organisation for the encouragement, preservation, and documentation of the performing arts of Kerala, set up by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the Government of Kerala. Instituted in 1962, the awards are given in the categories of music, dance, theatre, other traditional arts, and for contribution/scholarship in performing arts. The award consists of Rs. 30,000, a citation and a plaque. The recipients of the award are also conferred the title Kalasree.
