 A scene from Macbeth by Kalidasa Kalakendram | |
| Formation | 25 January 1963 |
|---|---|
| Type | Theatre group |
| Purpose | Professional Drama |
| Location | |
Membership | O. Madhavan - Founder Vijayakumari - Secretary Mukesh - Promoter |
Artistic director(s) | E. A. Rajendran |
Kalidasa Kalakendram is a professional drama theatrical group founded by O. Madhavan, [1] a well-known Malayalam theatre director, in Kollam, Kerala. The group was founded on 25 January 1963 as a society under the parent organisation, Paul Foundation. [2]
The city of Kollam in Kerala is well known for its affinity to drama and drama theaters. There were more than 450 drama troupes in Kollam in the past. [3] Kalidasa Kalakendram is one among them, founded by thespian O. Madhavan on 25 January 1963 with the support of O. N. V. Kurup, Vaikom Chandrasekharan Nair and Devarajan Master. [4] Now the troupe is managed by Sandhya Rajendran(daughter of O. Madhavan), E. A. Rajendran(son-in-law of O. Madhavan), Actor Mukesh (son of O. Madhavan), Jayasree Syamlal(daughter of O. Madhavan) and Syamlal(son-in-law of O. Madhavan). [5]
In 2012, Kalidasa Kalakendram ventured into film production through the Malayalam movie Hide n' Seek , directed by Anil. Divyadarshan, the grandson of O. Madhavan, played the lead role in the movie. The movie production house of Kalidasa Kalakendram was named as Kalidasa International Movies. [9]
Palappurathu Keshavan Surendranatha Thilakan was an Indian film and stage actor who appeared in over 200 Malayalam films. Thilakan was known for his elaborate method acting, realistic and spontaneous appearances and is considered to be one of the greatest actors in Malayalam Cinema.
Paravoor Govindan Devarajan (1927–2006), popularly known as G. Devarajan or Devarajan master, was an Indian music composer and Carnatic singer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of Indian film music. He scored music for more than three hundred Malayalam films, many dramas, and twenty Tamil and four Kannada movies. His collaborations with Vayalar Ramavarma produced the golden era of Malayalam film music and many of his compositions remain ever green classics in Malayalam. His music in the Tamil film Annai Velankanni has received many accolades. Devarajan received Kerala Government's Best Music Director award five times, among other honours. In 1999, he was honoured with the J. C. Daniel Award, Kerala government's highest honour for contributions to Malayalam cinema.
O. Madhavan was an Indian theatre director and actor. He was one of the founding members of the Communist Party of India in Kerala. He is considered one of the great masters of the theatre; he has made major contributions for the evolution of theatre in Kerala. He was the founder of the renowned drama company Kalidasa Kala Kendram. He won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor in 2000 for his role in the film Sayahnam
Madhavan Nair, commonly known by his stage name Madhu, is an Indian actor, director, producer, former college lecturer and former film studio owner, who works in Malayalam cinema and a certain number of Hindi and Tamil films. He was a prominent lead actor during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s and has acted in more than 400 films. Madhu has also directed 12 films, produced 15 films and at one time owned the Uma Film Studio. He was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2013 for his contributions towards the arts. He was honored with the J. C. Daniel Award by the Government of Kerala in 2004, for his outstanding contributions to Malayalam films. He is the president of Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) Kerala Unit.
Madhavan Raveendran, , fondly known as Raveendran Master, was a popular South Indian music composer and playback singer from Kerala. He composed songs for more than 150 films primarily for the Malayalam and Tamil film industries. He also composed a few albums, including Vasantha Geethangal, Ponnonatharangini and Rithugeethangal. Raveendran successfully composed melodies based on Hindustani Ragas also.
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.
N. Sreedharan Nair, popularly known as Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair or just Kottarakkara, was an Indian actor, born as the son of Narayana Pillai and Ummini Amma in Kollam district, Kerala. He appeared in Malayalam movies.
Narasimham is a 2000 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film directed by Shaji Kailas and written by Ranjith. Narasimham was released on 26 January 2000, India's 50th Republic Day, and ran for 200 days in theatres and grossed 20 crores worldwide. The film stars Mohanlal in the title role with Thilakan, Kanaka, N. F. Varghese, Aishwariyaa Bhaskaran and Jagathy Sreekumar in pivotal roles. Mammootty appears in a cameo role. The film was the first production of Aashirvad Cinemas, owned by Antony Perumbavoor, the former chauffeur of Mohanlal.
Maliyekkal Kochukunju Arjunan was an Indian film and theatre composer, known for his works in Malayalam cinema and the theatre of Kerala. He was fondly referred to as Arjunan Master.
Ningalenne Communistakki is a Malayalam socio-political play by Kerala People's Arts Club (KPAC). This was the second and most popular stage play of KPAC. This drama propelled KPAC into the forefront of Kerala cultural scene and played a historical role in popularising the Communist movement in Kerala during 1950's eventually leading to the establishment of first democratically elected communist ministry in the world in 1957 in Kerala.
Annan Thampi is a 2008 Indian Malayalam-language action comedy film directed by Anwar Rasheed, starring Mammootty, Lakshmi Rai and Gopika. Mammootty plays dual roles in the film. The film was a Blockbuster success at the box office.
Hide N' Seek is a 2012 Malayalam-language drama film directed by Anil. The film stars Mukesh, Divyadarshan, Sonia Mann and Shankar in pivotal roles. Kalidasa Kalakendram, a renowned drama company founded by O. Madhavan, ventured into film production through the film under Kalidasa International Movies. The film is loosely based on the critically acclaimed South Korean romantic drama film 3-Iron by Kim Ki-duk.
Kalaramathil Shivaraman Premkumar, better known by his stage name Kochu Preman, was an Indian actor who worked in Malayalam film industry. He acted in more than 250 films, mainly in supporting and comedy roles, and also appeared in television.
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.
Asramam Adventure Park is an urban park in the core Kollam city of Kerala state. It was opened after 1980, on 48 acres (19 ha) of city-owned land. Located beside the Kerala's pride, backwaters of Ashtamudi, this place popularly known as Asramam Picnic Village. It is the main centre of recreational activities in Kollam city. The Kollam District Tourism Promotion Council conducts regular backwater cruises in houseboats, luxury boats and speedboats from the Boat Club. The mangroves near this park is very famous in all over India. So many endangered species of trees are surviving in the park.
Vijayakumari is an Indian stage, television and film actress. She was a stage actress at Kerala People's Arts Club and Kalidasa Kalakendra. She is the winner of the Kerala State award for best stage actress. She received the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award in 1976 and the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship in 2005. Currently she is the Secretary of Kalidasa Kalakendra.
Divyadarshan is an actor and Producer from Kerala, India. Divyadarshan made his debut in Malayalam through the movie Hide n' Seek in 2012 and has acted in eight movies since then.
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.
Rajesh Sharma is an Indian actor, who appears in Malayalam movies. He acted in several dramas and debuted in Malayalam movie industry in 2005.
