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.
Mahalakshmi Menon, best known by her stagename Shobha, was an Indian actress best known for her work in Malayalam and Tamil films. At the age of 17, she won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her role in the 1979 Tamil film Pasi. She also received three Kerala State Film Awards: for Best Actress (1978), Best Supporting Actress (1977) and Best Child Artist (1971); and two Filmfare Awards South for Best Actress in Kannada (1978) and Tamil (1979) films. Considered one of the finest talents to have emerged in the Indian film world, her promising career was unexpectedly cut short as she committed suicide in 1980, due to unknown reasons. Her popularity resulted in considerable public scrutiny of the events that led to her death and also various conspiracy theories. The 1983 Malayalam film Lekhayude Maranam Oru Flashback is supposedly based on her life and death.
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.
K. Bhaskaran Nair, professionally credited by his stage name Adoor Bhasi, was an Indian actor and film director. He was mostly cast as sidekicks to protagonists, particularly Prem Nazir. His comedic roles were widely appreciated in Malayalam films of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Bhasi has also done leading and character roles. He directed three Malayalam films in late 1970s. Bhasi is also known for his eloquent speeches in fluent English. He has won Kerala State Film Awards, including two Best Actor and one Second Best Actor.
Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair was an Indian poet, playwright, script writer, lyricist, orator, film director and actor, though he is best known as an actor in Malayalam cinema. He is the recipient of Padma Shri from the Government of India, which is one of the highest civilian honours in India. In a career that spanned about 47 years, he acted in over 700 films. He is considered to be the "first superstar of Malayalam cinema". In 1993, he was honoured with the J. C. Daniel Award, Kerala government's highest honour for contributions to Malayalam cinema.
Roja Ramani is an Indian actress who predominantly worked in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu films. She was a child actor and her debut movie was Bhakta Prahlada (1967) for which she received National Film Award for Best Child Artist. She was popular during the 1970s and early 1980s and has acted in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Odia movies. She worked in 400 films as a dubbing artiste. She is an active member of BlueCross and is involved in several social service activities.
Jayabharathi is an Indian actress. She is a two-time recipient of the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress and National Film Award by Special Jury Award - Special Mention. Her roots are from Kollam district of Kerala.
Vidhubala is an Indian actress s tarted her career in the mid-1960s and retired from the industry in 1981. She is well known for hosting the family reality show Kadhayallithu Jeevitham in Amrita TV spanning for 10 years. She has acted in advertisements also.
Sumathi is an Indian actress from Madurai, Tamil Nadu. She started her career at the age of two. She starred in many Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi language films.
Kizhakkepainummoodu Easo Mathai, better known by his pen name Parappurath (1924–1981), was an Indian novelist, short story writer and screenwriter who wrote in the Malayalam language. His body of work comprises 20 novels, 14 short story anthologies and 15 screenplays. He was a recipient of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story (1966), Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel (1968) and Kerala State Film Award for Best Story, amongst other honours.
Jose Prakash was an Indian actor and singer who worked in Malayalam cinema. He was a singer turned actor who had appeared in more than 300 films mostly in antagonist roles. He was awarded with the J. C. Daniel Award in 2011, a day before he died aged 86. In a career spanning for around 40 years, he is known for portraying some of the iconic villain characters in the Malayalam film industry. Later, he switched to character roles in the mid 90s.
Panitheeratha Veedu is a 1973 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan. The film stars Prem Nazir, Nanditha Bose, Roja Ramani and Jose Prakash. It is an adaptation of Parappurath's 1964 novel of the same name. It won the Kerala State Film Awards for Best Film, Best Direction, Best Story and Best Singer (Jayachandran). It also won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam & also won two Filmfare Awards South.
Chalappurathu Raveendranatha Menon, popularly known as Ravi Menon, was a veteran Indian film actor who worked in Malayalam cinema. He was born in Sreekrishnapuram, Palakkad in 1950. He graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune and made his debut in the Malayalam movie Nirmalyam, for which he received the state government special jury award. He was nominated for Best Actor for his role in Mani Kaul's Duvidha. His notable movies includes Shalini Ente Koottukari, Shyama, Kilukkam, and Minnaram. He acted in more than 50 Malayalam movies.
Alummoodan was an Indian actor who worked in Malayalam films. He had acted in more than 100 films and mainly did comedy roles.
T. R. Omana is an Indian actress in Malayalam films. She mainly acts in supporting roles and mother roles. She has acted in more than 500 films.
Sudheer was an Indian actor who predominantly worked in the Malayalam film industry. He was a lead actor during the 1970s. He acted in more than 100 movies. His role in the movie Chembarathy in 1972 was well noted. He won a Kerala State Film Award in 1975 for his performance in the movie Sathyathinte Nizhalil.
Kanakadurga is an Indian actress best known for her work in Malayalam cinema. She hails from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. She debuted in the Malayalam movie Nellu as Kurumatti. She has acted in a few Tamil, Kannada and Telugu movies as well. She married Malayalam cinematographer Hemachandran and her daughter Manasa has acted in few Malayalam movieslike Big B, Kaakki, Jubilee, Calcutta News, The Snake And Ladder etc.,Telugu movies like Nandanavanam 120 km, Shankar, Tamil serial Uthiripookkal and later married Tamil actor Vikranth. She is now acting in tele films and soap operas.
Reena is an Indian actress best known for her work in Malayalam cinema. She was one of the lead actress during the late 1970s. She has acted in more than 100 film along with several popular television series in Malayalam and Tamil languages. She has also acted in few Tamil and Telugu movies as well.
Prema was an Indian actress in Malayalam cinema. She acted mainly in supporting and character roles as a mother, during the 1960s and 1970s and appeared in more than 50 films in her career. She is the mother of actress Shobha.
P. R. Varalakshmi is an Indian actress. She was active in movies during the 1970s and 1980s. She was a prominent lead actress during the 1980s in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu films. She has acted around 600 movies in all major south Indian languages. Her debut film was Vazhaiyadi Vazhai in 1972, directed by K. S. Gopalakrishnan.
