Chandu Chekavar (Chathiyan Chanthu, also known as Chandu Panicker [1] ), was a sixteenth-century chekavar of the Chekavar family from Kerala folklore, [2] mentioned in the folk songs of Northern Kerala called Vadakkan Pattukal .
Kalaripayattu is an Indian martial art that originated in Kerala, a state on the southwestern coast of India during the 11th–12th century CE.
Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail, known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty, is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam-language films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and English-language productions. In a career spanning five decades, he has appeared in more than 420 films, predominantly in lead roles. He is the recipient of several accolades, including three National Film Awards, eleven Kerala State Film Awards, eleven Kerala Film Critics Awards and fifteen Filmfare Awards South. He was honored with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award by the Government of India in 1998, for his contributions to cinema. He was also honored with the Kerala Prabha Award by the Government of Kerala in 2022.
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.
Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair, popularly known as M.T., is an Indian author, screenplay writer and film director. He is a prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and is one of the masters of post-Independence Indian literature. At the age of 20, as a chemistry undergraduate, he won the prize for the best short story in Malayalam at World Short Story Competition conducted by The New York Herald Tribune. His first major novel Naalukettu, written at the age of 23, won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1958. His other novels include Manju (Mist), Kaalam (Time), Asuravithu and Randamoozham. The deep emotional experiences of his early days have gone into the making of MT's novels. Most of his works are oriented towards the basic Malayalam family structure and culture and many of them were path-breaking in the history of Malayalam literature. His three seminal novels on life in the matriarchal family in Kerala are Naalukettu, Asuravithu, and Kaalam. Randamoozham, which retells the story of the Mahabharatha from the point of view of Bhimasena, is widely credited as his masterpiece.
Hariharan is an Indian film director who has directed over 50 Malayalam films. His movies mainly revolve around the cultural and relational aspects of a typical Keralite society. His most notable works include Sharapancharam (1979), Panchagni (1986), Idavazhiyile Poocha Mindappoocha (1979), Amrutham Gamaya (1987), Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989), Sargam (1992), Parinayam (1994) and Pazhassi Raja (2009) which has won him wide critical acclaim. In 2019, he was awarded the J. C. Daniel Award, Kerala government's highest honour for contributions to Malayalam cinema.
Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, credited internationally as A Northern Story of Valor, is a subplot of Vadakkan Pattukal, a medieval ballad from North Malabar and is often regarded as a classic in Malayalam cinema. The film won four National Film Awards including Best Actor (Mammootty), Best Screenplay (Nair), Best Production Design and Best Costume Design and eight Kerala State Film Awards.
Geetha is an Indian actress who appears in Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and Hindi films. She debuted in the Tamil film Bairavi. Since then she has acted in over 200 films in all major South Indian languages, and in a few Hindi films. She also appears in South Indian television serials. Geetha has won two Filmfare Awards South and Kerala State Film Awards, Karnataka State Film Awards each.
Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja is a 2009 Indian Malayalam-language epic period drama film based on the life of Pazhassi Raja, a king who fought against the East India Company in the 18th century. The film was directed by Hariharan, written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair and produced by Gokulam Gopalan. It stars Mammootty in lead role with an ensemble supporting cast. The music score and soundtrack were created by Ilaiyaraaja, while its sound design is by Resul Pookutty.
Unniyarcha (ഉണ്ണിയാർച്ച) is a legendary warrior and heroine from the 16th century, mentioned in the Vadakkan Pattukal, a set of historical ballads from northern Kerala, a state in southwestern India. She was a member of a Thiyyar community family called Puthooram Veed in Kadathanad. Her father's name was Kannappa Chekavar. She is believed to have lived in the northern part of Kerala during the 16th century. She is a popular character in Kerala's folklore and is remembered for her valour and skills in Kerala's native martial art, Kalaripayattu. According to legend, Unniyarcha was mostly known for her deadly skill with the whip-like urumi, a unique type of sword that originates from Kerala. Like most traditional Kalaripayattu practitioners, she began training at the kalari at the age of seven.
K. Ramachandra Babu was an Indian cinematographer of over 125 films, out of which most are Malayalam films. He also worked for films in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Arabic and English languages. He served as the cinematographer for several documentaries and advertisement films as well. He was the founder of the Indian Society of Cinematographers (ISC).
Thacholi Chandu was a warrior and a legendary hero who is believed to have lived during 17 th century in North Malabar region of Kerala, India. He belonged to the Thacholi family of Nair community. Chandu was married to Thayattu Madathu Mattu Kutti. He is praised about in Vadakkan Pattukal. He is the nephew of legendary Thacholi Othenan.
Unniyarcha ഉണ്ണിയാർച്ച is a 1961 Indian Malayalam-language action film, produced and directed by Kunchacko. The film stars Ragini, Prem Nazir, Sathyan, Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair and Hari. Based on the life of warrior of the same name mentioned in Vadakkan Pattukal, it was released on 24 August 1961 and became a success. and this movie has a sequel named "Aromalunni". 1972 released.
Puthooramputhri Unniyarcha is a 2002 Indian Malayalam-language historical film directed by P. G. Viswambharan. Based on Vadakkanpattu, the folklore of North Malabar, which are ballads extolling the brave and valiant chekavars, it stars Vani Viswanath, Kunchacko Boban, Devan, Siddique and Captain Raju in major roles. Jagadeesh, Mala Aravindan, Jayakrishnan, Naveen Arakkal, Anoop, Sreehari, Manya, Manka Mahesh, Spadikam George and Mamukkoya form the supporting cast. This is the last film of P. G. Viswambharan.
Mathilukal (transl. Walls) is a 1990 Indian Malayalam-language film written, directed, and produced by Adoor Gopalakrishnan based on the autobiographical novel of the same name by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer. The film focuses on the prison life of Vaikom Muhammad Basheer and the love between him and Narayani, a female inmate of the prison, who remains unseen throughout the film. Mammootty plays the role of Vaikom Muhammad Basheer while K. P. A. C. Lalitha gives voice to Narayani. The film was screened at the Venice Film Festival.
Vaikom Vijayalakshmi is an Indian playback singer from Kerala, India. She is an expert in a rare musical instrument called Gayatriveena. She won special jury mention for her much appreciated work in the 2013 film Celluloid. She was born at Vaikom on 7 October 1981 and later on moved to Chennai. In 2022, she was honoured with Kerala Sree Award, third highest civilian award given by the Government of Kerala.
Aromal Chekavar, also known as Puthooram Veettil Aromal Chekavar, was a warrior who is believed to have lived during the 16th century in the North Malabar region of present-day Kerala, India. He was a warrior from a Thiyyar community and a paramount chief of the Puthooram family. His sister, Unniyarcha, was also a skilled warrior.
Veeram (transl. Valour) is a 2016 Indian historical drama film written and directed by Jayaraj. It is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's Macbeth, and is the fifth installment in Jayaraj's Navarasa series. The film, which also takes inspirations from the Vadakkan Pattukal of North Malabar region in Kerala tells the story of Chandu Chekavar, an infamous warrior in the 13th century North Malabar.
Shivajith is an Indian actor from Kerala, who made his debut in the film Veeram in 2016, directed by Jayaraj.