Thattil Antony Johnson, popularly known as Johnson Master, was an Indian film score composer and music director who has given music to some of the most important motion pictures of Malayalam cinema, including those for Koodevide, Namukku Paarkkan Munthiri Thoppukal, Oru Minnaminunginte Nurunguvettam, Vadakkunokkiyantram, Perumthachan, Njan Gandharvan, Ponthan Mada, and Bhoothakkannadi. Regarded as one of the finest composers in the industry, he was noted for his lyrical and expressive melodies together with simple but rich tonal compositions of thematic music. Johnson is a recipient of National Film Awards twice and Kerala State Film Awards five times.
Manjil Virinja Pookkal is a 1980 Indian Malayalam-language romantic thriller film produced by Navodaya Appachan under Navodaya Studio and written and directed by Fazil. It stars Shankar, Mohanlal and Poornima Bhagyaraj. The film features original songs composed by Jerry Amaldev and a score by Guna Singh, cinematography was done by Ashok Kumar.
Abdul Hameed Muhammed Fazil, known mononymously as Fazil, is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and actor who works in Malayalam cinema, in addition to directing a handful of Tamil films. He made his directional debut with the 1980 film Manjil Virinja Pookkal.
Shanker Panicker is an Indian film actor, film director and film producer who has worked in Malayalam and Tamil films. Known mononymously as Shankar, he has acted in nearly 200 films and was a leading actor in Malayalam cinema during the 1980s and was also a lead youth hero in Tamil Cinema at that time. Shankar's debut Tamil film Oru Thalai Ragam, and Malayalam debut, Manjil Virinja Pookkal, completed a theatrical run of 365 and 250 days respectively. He was the most successful romantic hero in Malayalam movies along with Prem Nazir.Shankar produced film "Ezhuthola" won 4 international film festival awards in 2023 including London International film festival awards,British film festival awards and Tagore international film festival.He also won many awards as an actor and director including a Kerala State film critics award.
Padma Shri Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri, popularly known as Kaithapram, is a Malayalam lyricist, poet, music director, actor, singer, screenwriter, music therapist and performer of Carnatic music. He debuted with the movie Ennennum Kannettante in 1986. He won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Lyricist two times. He was awarded India's fourth-highest civilian honor Padma Shri in 2021 by the Government of India for his contribution to the field of art.
Maliampurackal Chacko Punnoose, known as Navodaya Appachan was an Indian film producer, director and entrepreneur. He was best known for his work in Malayalam cinema, especially as the founder of Navodaya Studio.
Kachinamthoduka Puthiyapurayil Ummer known as K. P. Ummer was an Indian actor from Thekkepuram quarter of Kozhikode, Kerala, India. He was active in the Malayalam cinema from the early sixties until the late nineties.
Zareena Moidu, known by her stage name Nadia Moidu or simply Nadhiya, is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu films. She made her debut in the 1984 Malayalam film Nokketha Doorathu Kannum Nattu for which she won Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Malayalam. She subsequently starred in a series of commercially successful films.
Ente Mamattukkuttiyammakku is a 1983 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film produced by Navodaya Appachan under Navodaya Studio. It was written and directed by Fazil and stars Bharat Gopy, Mohanlal, Shalini, Poornima Jayaram, and Sangeeta Naik. The film was reported to be heavily inspired by the 1982 film Annie.
Thoppil Bhaskara Pillai, known as Thoppil Bhasi was an Indian Malayalam-language playwright, screenwriter, and film director. He was associated with the communist movement in Kerala and his play Ningalenne Communistakki is considered to be a groundbreaking event in the history of Malayalam theatre.
Thiranottam (transl. Retrospect) is a 1978-made Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by V. Ashok Kumar and written by Kumar and Pachalloor Sasi. The film stars Mohanlal, C. Chandramohan, Ravikumar, Maniyanpilla Raju, and Renu Chandra in their debut roles. Mohanlal played Kuttappan, a mentally disabled servant. The film was completed and censored in 1978, but was not released immediately, it was released in a single theatre in 2005. Thiranottam is known for being the acting debut of Mohanlal, then 18 years old, even though his onscreen debut was Manjil Virinja Pookkal (1980).
Nokkethadhoorathu Kannum Nattu is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written and directed by Fazil, and starring Mohanlal, Nadhiya Moidu, Padmini. The film features original songs composed by Jerry Amaldev and background score by Johnson. Nadhiya made her Malayalam and acting debut through this film. The film also marked the comeback of Padmini after a hiatus. Nokkethadhoorathu Kannum Nattu was the highest-grossing Malayalam films of the year at the box office and ran for more than 200 days in theatres. It won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value. Nadhiya won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Malayalam. The film was remade in Tamil titled Poove Poochooda Vaa (1985) by Fazil himself, and in Telugu as Muddula Manavaraalu (1986) by Jandhyala. and in Hindi as Paayal.
Ennennum Kannettante is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language romance film, written and directed by Fazil, starring newcomers Sangeet Pillai and Sonia G. Nair. The film won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value for the year 1986. Srividya won the Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actress also for this film. Despite all the critical acclaim, the film was a box office failure. It was remade in Tamil by the same director as Varusham 16 and also in Kannada as Halli Krishna Delhi Radha (1992).
Navodaya Studio is an Indian film studio headquartered at Kochi, Kerala. It is one of the earliest film studios in Kerala, established in 1976 by Navodaya Appachan. Navodaya is known for producing some of the landmark films in Indian cinema.
Poovachal Khader was a Malayalam lyricist from Kerala who worked mainly in Malayalam film industry. His first movie as a lyricist was Kaattuvithachavan (1973) but his first released movie was Chuzhi (1973). His last movie was Mothathi Kozhappa (2023).
Ashok Kumar Aggarwal was an Indian cinematographer who worked mainly in the South Indian film industry. In a career that spanned nearly four decades, he worked in over 125 feature films in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Hindi languages. Aggarwal was a member of the Indian Society of Cinematographers (ISC).
Kalaikkal Kumaran was a noted Malayalam film and very popular drama actor. He was well known for his comedy roles in dramas by Kalidasa Kalakendram. He acted in 65 films and more than 150 dramas. He appeared more than 15000 stages. His first drama was Kathirukanakili by Kerala theatre of Ponkunnam Varkey. Other famous dramas are Doctor, Kathirukanakili, Althara, Muthuchippi, Kadalpalam, Swantham Lekhakan, Yudhabhoomi and Samgamam, more than 150 dramas. He received many Kerala state awards, including Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship for acting in 1989. Kumaran was a member of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi. Kalaikkal Kumaran was supposed to create a record for appearing on more than 20,000 stages, but he lost his vision due to cataracts and left the field. Kalaikkal Kumaran was a staunch atheist throughout his life, and was a supporter of Communist Party of India.
Action Hero Biju is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language police procedural comedy film directed by Abrid Shine. The film stars Nivin Pauly, Anu Emmanuel, Saiju Kurup, Joju George, Alexander Prasanth, Kalabhavan Prajod, Rony David and Sohan Seenulal. Nivin jointly produced the film with Abrid Shine and Shibu Thekkumpuram. Jerry Amaldev composed the original songs, while Rajesh Murugesan composed score. Principal photography began in May 2015 and ended in October 2015.
Guruji Oru Vakku is a 1985 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Rajan Sankaradi and written by Venu Nagavally. The film stars Mohanlal, Madhu, Nedumudi Venu, and Ratheesh. The film has songs composed by Jerry Amaldev and background score by Johnson.
P. S. Vidyadharan is a music composer and playback singer who works in Malayalam cinema. In 2013, he completed 60 years of his musical career.
