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.
Master Chief Petty Officer Krishnan Madhavan Nair, better known by his stage name Jayan, born as the son of Madhavan Pillai and Bharathiyamma in Kollam, was an Indian actor, naval officer, and stunt performer of the 1970s and 1980s. He starred in over 150 Malayalam films, primarily as an action star. In 2010 he was referred to as the first and most successful action hero of Malayalam cinema.
M. G. Soman was an Indian actor and former Indian Air Force officer who appeared in Malayalam films. He was one among the leading star actors doing hero roles in Malayalam Cinema during the late 1970s and early 1980s. He has also done roles in Tamil films Aval Oru Thodar Kathai, Naalai Namadhe, Kumara Vijayam and Airport. However, in the late 1980s and 1990s, he switched to character and villainous roles.
Irruppam Veedu Sasidaran was an Indian film director who made over 110 films predominantly in Malayalam, in addition to Tamil and Hindi languages. In 2015, he was awarded the J. C. Daniel Award, the highest award in Malayalam cinema. Often described as a pathbreaker, Sasi made his mark during Malayalam cinema’s transformative period from the 1970s to 1990s.
Plamthottathil Gangadharan Viswambharan was an Indian film director who worked in Malayalam cinema. Viswambharan directed 63 Malayalam films, in a career spanning close to four decades.
Cochin Haneefa was an Indian actor, film director, and screenwriter. He started his career in the 1970s mainly portraying villainous roles, before going on to become one of the most popular comedians of Malayalam cinema. He acted in more than 300 films in Malayalam and Tamil.
Rashin Rahman commonly known by his Surname Rahman is an Indian actor. He has worked in around 200 films, primarily in Malayalam cinema, in addition to Tamil, Hindi and Telugu cinema, and has won several awards. In Tamil and Telugu cinema, he is also known by the screen names Raghuman and Raghu.
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.
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. He is regarded as one of the original actors of all time in Malayalam movies.
Suman is an Indian actor known for his work in South Indian films. He played the male lead and supporting characters mostly in Telugu and Tamil movies. He also featured in a few Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi. In a career spanning almost 5 decades, he has acted in more than 700 movies in 10 languages. He was one of the most prominent actors of Telugu cinema during the 1980s and 1990s.
Sudheer Kumar, better known by his stage name Maniyanpilla Raju, is an Indian actor and producer who works in Malayalam film industry. His debut film was Mohiniyaattam in 1976. He has played a variety of roles as a character actor, appearing in over 400 films. His stage name was derived from the character he played in the film Maniyanpilla Adhava Maniyanpilla (1981), his break-through role.
Devan Sreenivasan is an Indian film and television actor and politician. He is known for his character roles, mostly as villain, in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and a few Kannada and Hindi films. He has starred in over 380 films.
Vadakkekarayil Koran Bharathan, better known as Paravoor Bharatan was an Indian actor who acted in Malayalam films. He started his career in movies during the 1950s. Bharathan is known as a versatile actor and has played a variety of roles including negative roles, character roles and comedy roles.
Prameela is a veteran Indian actress in South Indian films. She was a prominent lead actress during the 1970s and 1980s in Malayalam and Tamil films also acted in few Kannada and Telugu films as well. She was noted for her glamorous roles. She has acted more than 50 Malayalam movies. She made her debut through 1968 Malayalam movie "Inspector". She got her major breakthrough in the 1973 Tamil film Arangetram. She is married to an American and settled in Los Angeles, California. She is a Roman Catholic and her mother tongue is Tamil.
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.
Sonia is an Indian actress, who works in Tamil and Malayalam films and serials. She debuted, at the age of three, as a child artist in the Malayalam film Ival Oru Naadodi. She continued to appear in many films as a child actor, credited as Baby Sonia. During her childhood she lent her voice for many child artists mainly for Baby Shalini. She got Kerala State Film Award for Best Child artist for the movie Nombarathi Poovu in 1987. She also got National Award for best child artist for the movie "My Dear Kuttichathan'.She acts in Tamil, Kannada, Telugu movies as well. Her brother Tinku is an actor in Tamil movies and shows.
T. K. Balachandran was an Indian actor who worked mainly in Malayalam films. He has acted in more than 200 films. His areas of contribution includes production, dialogue, story, screenplay. He is the first actor to play a double role in the history of Malayalam cinema.
Velikuzhiyil Devadasan Rajappan was an Indian actor in Malayalam movies. He was a popular Kadhaprasangam artist in Kerala. He was born in Kottayam, Kerala. He was known for his inventive style in stand-up comedy in the late 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He started his career in the 1980s mainly portraying comedian roles and has acted in more than 100 films in Malayalam. He is considered as the godfather of parody songs in Malayalam.
Ajith Kollam was an Indian actor, who predominantly appeared in Malayalam cinema. He had acted in more than 500 films in all South Indian languages. He mainly acted in villain roles. He acted in the Tamil movie Airport (1993).
Kollam G. K. Pillai was an Indian actor in Malayalam cinema. He acted in more than 50 films. He handled character roles and comedy roles during the 1970s and 1980s. He died on 30 January 2016.
