Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, Elippathayam won the Sutherland Trophy at the London Film Festival, and Most Original Imaginative Film of 1982 by the British Film Institute. Rajiv Anchal's Guru (1997), Salim Ahamed's Adaminte Makan Abu (2011) and Lijo Jose Pellissery's Jallikkattu (2019) were Malayalam films sent by India as its official entries for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Academy Awards.
Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail, known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty, is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and English-language productions. In a career spanning five decades, he has acted in over 400 films. He is the recipient of several accolades, including three National Film Awards, seven Kerala State Film Awards, and thirteen Filmfare Awards South. For his contribution to film, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri in 1998. In 2022, he was honoured with Kerala Prabha Award, the second-highest honour given by the Government of Kerala
Palappurathu Kesavan 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. He has won 3 National Film Awards and 11 Kerala State Film Awards. The Government of India honored him with the Padma Shri in 2009 for his contributions towards the arts. He died on 24 September 2012 at the age of 77. He holds the record of receiving Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actor the highest number of times, till date.
Suresh Gopi is an Indian actor, politician, playback singer and television presenter. He works predominantly in Malayalam cinema and has also appeared in some Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bollywood films. Suresh made his acting debut as a child in the 1965 film Odayil Ninnu. He made his debut as an adult in 1986 and since then, he has acted in more than 250 films. Suresh Gopi is a recipient of the National Film Award and the Kerala State Film Award in 1998 for his performance in Kaliyattam. He was a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India.
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, Kumaara Vijayam and Airport. However, in the late 1980s and 1990s, he switched to character and villainous roles.
Ranjith Balakrishnan is a veteran Indian film director, screenwriter, lyricist, producer, and actor who works in Malayalam cinema. Ranjith made his directorial debut in 2001 with Ravanaprabhu, the sequel to Devaasuram. His films Thirakkatha and Indian Rupee won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam in 2008 and 2011 respectively. He is also the current chairman of Kerala State Chalachitra Academy.
Rashin 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.
Shaji Kailas is an Indian film director and screenwriter known for his works in Malayalam cinema. Shaji got a breakthrough with the comedy film Dr. Pasupathy (1990).
Renji Panicker is an Indian actor, scriptwriter, director, film producer, and journalist best known for his Malayalam films. He made his debut as a director with Bharatchandran IPS in 2005.
T. G. Ravindranathan, popularly known as T. G. Ravi, is an Indian actor, mainly noted for his roles as a villain in Malayalam cinema. He along with Balan K. Nair played most of the negative roles in Malayalam cinema during the 1970s and 1980s. Known for his body language and style of dialogue delivery, he played some of the biggest villain roles in Malayalam cinema during that period.
Lalu Alex is an Indian actor who works in Malayalam cinema. In a career spanning four decades, Lalu Alex has acted over 250 movies and is known for his character roles, comic roles and antagonistic roles in Malayalam movie industry.
Ahimsa (transl. Non-violence) is a 1981 Malayalam-language political film directed by I. V. Sasi and written by T. Damodaran, starring Sukumaran in the lead role along with Ratheesh, Poornima Jayaram, Seema, Mohanlal, Mammootty, Balan K. Nair, and Menaka in other supporting roles. The film won Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actor (Mammootty) and Best Editor (Narayanan).
Thalasthanam is a 1992 Malayalam-language crime action film written by Renji Panicker, directed by Shaji Kailas and produced by S. Henry under the banner of Christ King Productions. The film stars Suresh Gopi in the lead role, along with Geetha, Narendra Prasad, Monisha, M. G. Soman, Ganesh Kumar and Vijayakumar in supporting roles. The basic plot revolves around Hari and his revenge against the people who murdered his brother, Unnikrishnan. The film explores the concepts of campus politics and the impact of anti social elements in students.
Chitra Shaji Kailas, better known mononymously as Annie, is an Indian actress and television host from Kerala, who appears in Malayalam films and television. Her film career spanned three years from 1993 to 1996 with a total of 16 films in Malayalam cinema, she retired from acting post-marriage and returned as a television host in 2015.
Arun Kumar Aravind is an Indian film director, editor and producer who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema.
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.
Raveendran (Ravindher), popularly known as Disco Raveendran is an Indian actor, primarily concentrating in Malayalam and Tamil films and he was a very busy actor of both these languages in the 1980s. A multi-faceted personality, Raveendran is also a screenwriter, interior designer, anchor, a film scholar, an acting coach, social activist and director of film festivals like Kochi Metro (Malayalam) Short Film Fest. He is an alumnus of the Adayar film school, Chennai.
Madirasi is a 2012 Malayalam action comedy film directed by Shaji Kailas and starring Jayaram, Meera Nandan, Meghana Raj, Kailash, Kalabhavan Mani and Tini Tom. The film is based on a series of true incidents that took place in the city of Madras, known in Malayalam as "Madirasi". Madirasi is however described as a part of Coimbatore in the film.
Sajith Jagadnandan is an Indian film director who makes movies in Malayalam. His directorial debut was Ore Mukham. He works as associative director and Director.
Kannamangalam Sreekumar Harisankar, popularly known as K. S. Harisankar, is an Indian playback singer and music producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Some of his popular songs are "Nilaavum Maayunnu" from Ennum Eppozhum, Jeevamshamayi from Theevandi, "Pavizhamazhaye" from Athiran, "Aval" from Kakshi: Amminippilla and "Nee Himamazhayaay" from Edakkad Battalion 06.
