Fourteen Malayalam cinema veterans to be honoured

Ramachandra Sreenivasa Prabhu, C.S. Chandrikadevi, T.R. Omana, G.K. Pillai among them

A host of veterans who played a key role in the early days of Malayalam cinema will be honoured at the 49th State Film Awards presentation ceremony to be held at Nishagandhi here on Saturday.

Among those to be honoured is Ramachandra Sreenivasa Prabhu, who directed, produced, and scripted a few films in the 1950s and 60s. Entering the film field as a production controller in Rakthabandham , he had produced films like Bhargavi Nilayam , Mudiyanaya Puthran, and Rarichan Enna Pouran . He produced and directed Rajamalli in 1965.

Early dubbing artiste

C.S. Chandrikadevi, who debuted as an actor in Sthree in 1950, later became a playback singer, with hit songs in Nalla thanka, Harishchandra, Bhakthakuchela, Paadatha Painkili and Randidangazhi . She was also one of the earliest dubbing artistes in the industry, lending her voice to a child actor in Vanamala in 1951.

Neyyattinkara Komalam was Prem Nazir’s first female lead, playing opposite him in

Marumakal in 1952. She also played the lead in Newspaper Boy , the first neo-realist film in Malayalam.

T.R. Omana, who debuted as a 12-year-old in

Premalekha in 1952 and acted in more than 500 films, has been an on-screen mother to different generations of stars from Sathyan to Sukumaran to Soman.

Memorable villain

G.K. Pillai, who debuted in 1954 with Snehaseema , essayed many a memorable villain role in films such as Cochin Express , Kannur Deluxe, and Sthanarthi Saramma . Vipin Mohan made his debut as a child actor in Neelakkuyil , the first national award- winning film from Kerala, but later went on to become a prolific cinematographer, with more than a 100 films to his credit.

T.N. Krishnankutty Nair was one of the sought-after cinematographers of the 1960s, after his debut with Umma . He cranked the camera for films such as Unniyarcha , Krishnakuchela , Palattukoman, and Seetha .

Latha Raju, playback singer and actor, made her singing debut with Snehadeepam in 1962, and played the role of Panchami in Chemmeen .

Still photographer Sivan, who clicked the photographs for Chemmeen , is also known for his award-winning films such as Abhayam , Swapnam , Yagam, and Keshu . Jagathy Sreekumar won the title of the king of comedy in Malayalam cinema, essaying hundreds of roles over several decades since his debut in 1956. Sreelatha Namboothiri was one of the few female actors to handle comedy in Malayalam cinema in the early decades. She also sung for more than 30 films.

B. Thyagarajan has been one of the most sought-after stunt directors in South Indian cinema, having worked in more than 2,000 films.

K. Raghunath, who worked for many years as an assistant director, turned an independent director with Lora Neeyevide , and went on to direct films such as Chakrayudham and Ragapournami .

Stanly Jose, who also for many years worked as assistant director and associate director, turned independent director with Vezhambal in 1977.

He directed the Tamil film Antha Kuyil Nee Thaana at the age of 80.