Renowned Malayalam movie director and producer Appachan (88) died in a private hospital in Kochi on Monday.
Mr. Appachan was born in 1924, in Pulincunoo, a village in Alappuzha, Kerala. He is credited with producing the first 3-D film in the country, ‘ My dear Kuttichattan ', in 1984. It was dubbed in several languages. In Hindi, it was released as ‘ Chota Chetan '. He was also the founder of Navodaya Studio and Kishkinta, the amusement park near Tambaram.
Mr. Appachan also introduced several stars, notable among them, Mohanlal, who later went on to become a Malayalam superstar. Early this year, the Kerala government honoured him with the JC Daniel award for his outstanding contribution to Malayalam cinema.
Navodaya introduced digital film editing in 1989. It also made the first television serial of the south, “Bible ki kahaniyan” a Hindi serial on Dooradarshan during 1990-91.
The last rites for Mr. Appachan will be held at Assumption Church near Kishkinta theme park. He is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters.
