Malayalam cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Malayalam language, which is widely spoken in the state of Kerala. Malayalam cinema includes the commercial film industry, sometimes known as Mollywood, as well as independent cinema made in Malayalam.
Joshiy is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema and also directed Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada-language films. Joshiy is a pioneer of action thriller films in Malayalam cinema and his films are known for its stylized imagery, color grading and film noir.
Nagulapati Srinivasa Chakravarthy, known professionally as J. D. Chakravarthy, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter and musician known for his work primarily with Telugu cinema in addition to Hindi, Tamil, and Malayalam films. Chakravarthy made his screen debut with the Telugu film, Siva, an action blockbuster directed by Ram Gopal Varma, featured at the 12th IFFI. He subsequently made his Bollywood debut with the remake of the same film titled Shiva (1990). He then starred in the blockbuster Satya, featured in the Indian panorama section at the 29th IFFI, and was listed among CNN-IBN's 100 greatest Indian films of all time. Chakravarthy received the Screen Award Special Jury Award.
Rajavinte Makan is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language gangster film directed and produced by Thampi Kannanthanam from a screenplay written by Dennis Joseph and based on the 1980 novel Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon. It stars Mohanlal, Ratheesh, Ambika and Mohan Jose. In the film, Vincent Gomes sets out to exact revenge against Home Minister N. Krishnadas.
Manu Uncle is a 1988 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-drama film directed by Dennis Joseph and produced by Joy Thomas. Starring Mammootty, M. G. Soman, Prathapachandran, Lissy, and B. Thyagarajan. Mohanlal made a cameo appearance as himself. The film was theatrically released on 7 April 1988 and was a box office success, completing a 100-day run in theatres. The movie was filmed in Kollam. The film won a National Award for Best Children's Film. Suresh Gopi also appeared in a cameo role, playing the character S.I Minnal Prathapan. The character eventually developed a cult following several years after the release of the film.
Shyama is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language romantic thriller film produced by Joy Thomas under Jubilee Productions, directed by Joshiy and written by Dennis Joseph. It stars Mammootty and Nadia Moidu in the lead roles. The film was remade in Tamil as Unakkaagavee Vaazhgiren. It is partially inspired by Gulzar's Kinara.
Vajram (transl. Diamond) is a 2004 Malayalam-language action thriller film written by Dennis Joseph and directed by Pramod Pappan. It starred Mammootty in the lead role and Master Mithun played another important role.
Adharvam ( is a 1989 Indian Malayalam-language supernatural horror film directed by Dennis Joseph and written by Shibu Chakravarthy, starring Mammootty, K. B. Ganesh Kumar, Charuhasan, Silk Smitha, Thilakan, and Parvathy Jayaram. Mammootty played the role of Anantha Padmanabhan, an expert in mystic tantric rituals. The songs and background score of the movie were by Ilaiyaraaja.
Dhinarathrangal is a 1988 Indian Malayalam-language film written by Dennis Joseph, directed by Joshi and produced by S. V. Krishna Reddy and starring Mammootty, Sumalatha and Mukesh. The score and soundtrack were composed by Shyam. The film was inspired by the Hindi film Achanak (1973).
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.
Dennis Joseph was an Indian scriptwriter and director known for his work in Malayalam films. He was active during the 1980s and early 1990s. He frequently collaborated with directors Joshiy and Thambi Kannanthanam. He is known for scripting films including Nirakkoottu (1985), Rajavinte Makan (1986), Shyama (1986), New Delhi (1987), No.20 Madras Mail (1990), Kottayam Kunjachan (1990), Indrajaalam (1990), Appu (1990), Akashadoothu (1993), Palayam (1994), and F.I.R. (1999). He also directed five films, including Manu Uncle, which won the National Film Award for Best Children's Film in 1988 and the Kerala State Film Award for the Best Children's Film in 1989.
Sivakumar Jayakumar, known professionally by his mononym Siva or also as Siruthai Siva, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, lyricist and cinematographer who works primarily in Tamil cinema industry.
Benny P. Nayarambalam is an Indian screenwriter who works in Malayalam films and theatre. He wrote his first theatrical play Athyunnathangalil Deivathinu Sthuthi at the age of 19, for the production company owned by Rajan P. Dev, in which he also performed as Rajan's son. He has a post-graduate degree in Malayalam literature. He made his debut in films as screenwriter through First Bell (1992), directed by P. G. Viswambharan.
Cheriyan Joseph, popularly known as Prem Prakash is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Malayalam television serials and a renowned producer in Malayalam movies. He is mainly known for supporting roles and character roles. He has produced 19 Malayalam films. He is known as Kariachan amongst his family, friends and cinema circles.
Gayathri Ashokan is an Indian poster designer and screenwriter who works in Malayalam cinema. He is considered as a pioneer in poster designing art along with P. N. Menon in Malayalam film industry. His debut design was for director Padmarajan' s Koodevide where he created a poster with all characters appearing in postage stamp. The posters created a very good impact among filmgoers. He has designed promotional posters for over 700 films including Tamil films. Ashokan introduced the airbrush concept in Malayalam posters.
Eeran Sandhya is a 1985 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by Jeassy and produced by Rajan Joseph. The film stars Mammootty, Shobana, Rahman and Jose Prakash.
Upaharam is a 1985 Indian Malayalam film, directed by Sajan and produced by Shaji Joseph and Rajan Joseph. The film stars Mammootty, Rahman (actor), Shobana, Srividya and Sukumari in the lead roles. The film has musical score by Johnson.. This film was released on November 12, 1985 during Diwali.
Sam C. S. is an Indian film music composer, producer, lyricist, and singer who predominantly works in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. He debuted in Tamil with the horror film Orr Eravuu before working on the scientific thriller Ambuli.
Shibu is a 2019 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by duo directors Arjun Prabhakaran and Gokul Ramakrishnan, written by Praneesh, and produced by Kaargo Cinemas. It features Karthik Ramakrishnan, Anju Kurian, Lukman Avaran, Salim Kumar, and Biju Kuttan in lead roles. Sachin Warrier composed the music for the film. It was released on 19 July 2019. Film is loosely based on a hard-core fan of Actor Dileep.
Appu is a 1990 Indian Malayalam-language drama thriller film directed by Dennis Joseph and written by Sreekumaran Thampi. It was produced by G. P. Vijayakumar of Seven Arts Films. The film stars Mohanlal as the title character. The film follows Appu who becomes a suspect in a murder case and his efforts to find the culprits. The film has songs composed by T. Sundararajan and background score by S. P. Venkatesh. The cinematography and editing were handled by Santosh Sivan and K. Sankunni respectively.
