Priyadarshan is an Indian film director and screenwriter known for his involvement in Indian cinema. Over a career spanning nearly three decades, Priyadarshan has directed a portfolio of over 90 films in multiple Indian languages, predominantly Malayalam and Hindi, alongside notable works in Tamil and Telugu. His career has been decorated with several accolades, including three National Film Awards, multiple Kerala State Film Awards, and the prestigious Padma Shri in 2012, India's fourth-highest civilian honor.
Sreenivasan is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, dubbing artist and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Sreenivasan has starred in over 225 films. Sreenivasan wrote the screenplays of films such as Odaruthammava Aalariyam (1984), Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam (1986), Gandhinagar 2nd Street (1986), Nadodikkattu (1987), Pattanapravesham (1988), Varavelpu (1989), Thalayana Manthram (1990), Sandesam (1991), Midhunam (1993), Mazhayethum Munpe (1995), Azhakiya Ravanan (1996), Oru Maravathoor Kanavu (1998), Udayananu Tharam (2005), Katha Parayumpol (2007), and Njan Prakashan (2018) among which the latter is one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time. He has won two Kerala State Film Awards for Best Screenplay, for Sandesam and Mazhayethum Munpe. He has received numerous accolades including a National Film Award, two Filmfare Award South and seven Kerala State Film Awards.
Vineeth Sreenivasan is an Indian actor, director, screenwriter, playback singer and lyricist who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. He is the eldest son of actor and screenwriter Sreenivasan.
Malabar Gopalan Nair Sreekumar, better known as M. G. Sreekumar is an Indian playback singer, composer, music producer, television presenter and film producer, who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest singers in Indian Cinema, he has sung more than 2500 songs in various Indian languages including Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and Sanskrit. He owns a music company named KMG Musics and the Saregama School of Music in Thiruvananthapuram.On October 2024 he appointed as the Director of the Music Academy of the UAE Government. Sreekumar has won several awards, including two National Film Awards, three Kerala State Film Awards and 5 Filmfare Awards South. He was also honoured with the Harivarasanam Award by the Government of Kerala in 2016. His career as a singer spans over 44 years.
Sujatha Mohan is an Indian playback singer who is popular for singing in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu movies. She has also sung for Kannada, Badaga, Hindi and Marathi and more languages movies. As of 2021, she had recorded more than 18,000 songs. She is celebrated as the Melody Queen of South India or Gana kokilam, she is known by various affectionate titles: Bhava Gayika in Kerala, and Innisai Kuyil in Tamil Nadu. She was affectionately known as "Kavikkuyil Sujatha" in Ceylon due to her association with the hit song from the movie Kavikkuyil. She is also known for her extensive history of collaboration with music composers like A. R. Rahman, Ilaiyaraja, M. M. Keeravani, Koti, Vidyasagar, Mani Sharma, and with the playback singers K. J. Yesudas, Hariharan, and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, over the years. Her husky voice and versatile singing style have garnered her a massive fan base.
Sukumari Amma was an Indian actress best known for her works in Malayalam and Tamil films. In a career spanning more than five decades, She has appeared in more than 2500 films predominantly in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, along with few Hindi and one each in Sinhala, French, Bengali, Tulu, English and Kannada films. Sukumari began acting at the age of 10. In 2003, she was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India for her contributions toward the arts. She won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the Tamil film Namma Gramam (2010). Sukumari died on 26 March 2013 in Chennai, following a heart attack.
Biju Menon is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Malayalam films, and also has a few Tamil and Telugu film credits. He made his debut in the 1994 Malayalam film Puthran. In a career spanning over two decades, he has appeared in over 150 films, and has won one National film award for Best Supporting Actor, three Kerala State Film Awards including one best actor, two Filmfare Awards South and nine Asianet Film Awards. He got the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor in 2021 for the film Aarkkariyam.
Indrajith Sukumaran is an Indian actor and playback singer. He predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Indrajith was born to the actors Sukumaran and Mallika Sukumaran and is the elder brother of actor Prithviraj Sukumaran.
Pranav Mohanlal is an Indian actor and playback singer who works in Malayalam cinema. The son of actor Mohanlal, he made his debut as a child actor with a minor role in Onnaman (2002), followed by a leading role in Punarjani, for which he won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Child Artist (2003).
Immanuel Vasanth Dinakaran, better known as D. Imman, is an Indian film composer and singer, predominantly working in Tamil cinema. His first film as music director was Thamizhan in 2002. Since then he has composed music for more than 100 films. He is the fifth Tamil music composer to win the National Film Award for Best Music Direction. He has also won the Filmfare Awards South and he has received 4 Filmfare Awards South nominations. He has also won 1 Tamil Nadu State Film Award, 2 Vijay Awards, 1 Edison Award, 1 Ananda Vikadan Cinema Award and 1 Zee Tamil Award. D. Imman is appointed as the Ambassador for Tamil Chair in University Of Toronto, Canada (2019).
Padmini Ramachandran was an Indian actress and trained Bharatanatyam dancer, who acted in over 250 Indian films. She acted in Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu and Russian language films. Padmini, with her elder sister Lalitha and her younger sister Ragini, were called the "Travancore sisters".
The Kerala School Kalolsavam is an annual event organized by the Government of Kerala, featuring various art competitions for high school and higher secondary students across the state of Kerala. Established in 1956, it was known as the "Kerala State School Youth Festival" until 2024. The participants, students in classes 8 to 12, compete at the state level after advancing from their respective district competitions. The event typically takes place between December and January and is considered one of the largest cultural gatherings in Asia.
Chaappa Kurishu is a 2011 Indian Malayalam-language thriller film co-written and directed by Sameer Thahir and starring Vineeth Sreenivasan, Fahadh Faasil, Roma Asrani, Remya Nambeesan, and Nivetha Thomas in the lead roles.
Lalitha was an Indian actress and dancer. She was the eldest of the "Travancore Sisters"—Lalitha, Padmini, and Ragini. She started her acting career in the 1948 Tamil film Adhithan Kanavu and has acted in movies of different Indian languages including Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. She entered films before her sisters, concentrating more on Malayalam films, and was mostly cast in vamp roles.
Aavarampoo is a 1992 Indian Tamil-language teen romance film, directed by Bharathan and produced by Keyaar. A remake of the 1980 Malayalam film Thakara, it stars Vineeth, Nandhini and Nassar. The film was released on 5 June 1992, and Nassar won the Tamil Nadu State Film Special Award for Best Actor.
Najim Arshad is a state award-winning Indian playback singer and music director, sung more than 500 songs in the Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi film industries. In 2007, he won the reality show Idea Star Singer. He studied in Swathi Thirunal College of Music and holds graduation and post-graduation degree in music. He was the Rank Holder of University of Kerala in Bachelor Of Performing Arts. He also won the Kalaprathibha title 13 times at the district and sub-district levels during his early school days. He is a recipient of Kerala State Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer.
Ambika Sukumaran Nair is an Indian actress best known for her work in Malayalam cinema during the 1950s and 1960s. She is a close relative of the Travancore Sisters; Lalitha, Padmini and Ragini, and also Shobana, Vineeth, Krishna and Sukumari. Ambika also was initiated to go along that path and she debuted in Udaya Studio's film Visappinte Vili in 1952 she is also the first herion of Premnazir. In 1968, she acted as the lead actress in the first full-length comedy in Malayalam cinema Viruthan Shanku, directed by P. Venu. She acted in more than 80 movies.
Vineeth Kumar is an Indian actor, director and screenwriter known for his work in the Malayalam film industry. He has had a career spanning decades, transitioning from a child artist to an accomplished director.
Kambhoji is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language film written and directed by Vinod Mankara.
Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea is a 2021 Indian Malayalam-language epic historical drama action film directed by Priyadarshan. Set in the 16th century Calicut, the film is based on the fourth Kunjali Marakkar named Muhammad Ali, the admiral of the fleet of the Zamorin. Priyadarshan scripted the film with Ani Sasi. The film is produced by Antony Perumbavoor's Aashirvad Cinemas. Marakkar features Mohanlal as Marakkar and Pranav Mohanlal as young Marakkar in the titlular roles, with ensemble cast Arjun Sarja, Suniel Shetty, Prabhu, Ashok Selvan, Nedumudi Venu, Mukesh, Siddique, Manju Warrier, Keerthy Suresh, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Suhasini Maniratnam, Innocent, Mamukkoya, Hareesh Peradi, Santhosh Keezhattoor and K. B. Ganesh Kumar. In the film, upon being terrorised by an oppressive Portuguese regime, legendary naval chieftain Kunjali Marakkar IV wages an epic war against the Europeans and their allies. This film was Keerthy Suresh's comeback to Malayalam cinema after a gap of seven years and the Malayalam debut of Ashok Selvan.
