Kunchacko (19 February 1912 – 15 June 1976) was an Indian film producer and director who worked in the

Malayalam film industry Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ''Elippathayam' ...

. His venture

Udaya Studios Udaya Studios was one of the oldest film studios in the Malayalam film industry of India. It was established in 1947 by director-producer Kunchacko (1912–1976) and film distributor K. V. Koshy in Pathirappally, Alappuzha in Kerala. The studi ...

influenced the gradual shift of Malayalam film industry from its original base of

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. He is the producer of ''

Jeevithanauka ''Jeevitha Nouka'' () is a 1951 Malayalam-language film directed by K. Vembu and jointly produced by K. V. Koshi and Kunchako. It was the first "blockbuster cinema" in Malayalam cinema, with a theatrical run of 284 days. Made at a budget of 200 ...

'' (1951), starring

Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair (16 October 191611 March 1997) was an Indian poet, playwright, script writer, lyricist, orator, film director and actor, though he is best known as an actor in Malayalam cinema. He is the recipient of Padma Shri from t ...

Career

In 1947, he established

Udaya Studio Udaya Studios was one of the oldest film studios in the Malayalam film industry of India. It was established in 1947 by director-producer Kunchacko (1912–1976) and film distributor K. V. Koshy in Pathirappally, Alappuzha in Kerala. The studi ...

Pathirappally Pathirappally is a coastal village in Alleppey District, Kerala state, India. It lies along the new coastal road, about 5 km from the town of Alleppey. It is a village in Mararikulam South and Aryad panchayats of Alappuzha district, Ker ...

Alappuzha Alappuzha or Alleppey () is the administrative headquarters of Alappuzha district in States and territories of India, state of Kerala, India. The Kerala Backwaters, Backwaters of Alappuzha are one of the most popular tourist attractions in Indi ...

. In his early days, Kunchacko produced films under the banner of ''K & K Productions'', with the partnership of K. V. Koshy. The company produced 4 films: ''Vellinakshatram'', ''Nalla Thanka'', ''

'' and ''Visappinte Vili''. ''Jeevithanauka'' (1951), starring

ran for 250 days. During the making of the film ''Achchan'', Kunchacko and Koshy parted ways and each started film-making under separate banners: Kunchacko under Udaya and Koshi under Filmco.weblokam.com
Profile
Kunchacko went on to produce ''Achchan, Avan Varunnu'' and ''

Kidappadam ''Kidappadam'' is a 1955 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by M. R. S. Mani and produced by M. Kunchacko. The film stars Prem Nazir and Kumari Thankam. The film had musical score by V. Dakshinamoorthy. The popular song "Kunkuma Chaaraninj ...

'' under the banner of Udaya. ''

'' was a commercial failure, and that caused Kunchacko to close down Udaya Studio. However, Udaya was opened within a few years with the help of his friend and Kerala state minister

T. V. Thomas T. V. Thomas (2 July 1910 – 26 March 1977) was an Indian communism, communist leader from Alappuzha, Alleppey, Kerala. He was the Minister for Labour and Transport in the First E. M. S. Namboodiripad ministry (5 April 1957 to 31 July 1959), ...

. In 1960, Kunchacko tried his hand in

film direction A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

with ''Umma'', which he followed with ''Neeli Saali'' and ''Seetha''. He went on to direct 40 films in his career of many genres including

purana Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

stories, ''vadakkan pattu'' stories, comedy films and social themed films. Some of his films are ''Bharya, Unniyarcha, Palattukoman, Sakunthala, Pazhassiraja, Mainatheruvi Kolacase, Ponnapuram Kotta, Anarkali'' and ''Kannappanunni''. His career in film direction went along with his career as film producer. He produced films directed by various directors such as M. Krishnan Nair (''Agni Mrigam, Thara, Kattuthulasi''),

A. Vincent Aloysius Vincent (14 June 1928 – 25 February 2015) was an Indian cinematographer and director known for his works in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi language films. From the mid-1960s on, he directed some 30 movies including the landmark Mal ...

(''Gandharva Kshethram''),

Thoppil Bhasi Thoppil Bhaskara Pillai, known as Thoppil Bhasi (8 April 1924 – 8 December 1992) was an Indian Malayalam-language playwright, screenwriter, and film director. He was associated with the communist movement in Kerala and his play '' Ningalenne ...

(''

Oru Sundariyude Katha ''Oru Sundariyude Katha'' is a 1972 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by Thoppil Bhasi and produced by M. Kunchacko. The film stars Prem Nazir, Jayabharathi, KPAC Lalitha and Adoor Bhasi. The film had musical score by G. Devarajan. This ...

, Ningalenne Communistakki''), K.S. Sethumadhavan (Koottukudumbam) and K. Raghunath (''Laura Neeyevide'').In 1976, Kunchacko died in

with musician

K. Raghavan K. Raghavan (2 December 1913 – 19 October 2013), also fondly called Raghavan Master, was a Malayalam music composer and Carnatic Vocalist. Along with G. Devarajan, V. Dakshinamoorthy and Baburaj, Raghavan is often credited for the renaissance ...

for the song recording of the film ''Mallanum Mathevanum''. ''Kannappanunni'' was the last film directed by him. His death occurred on the fifth death anniversary (15 June) of the veteran Malayalam actor Sathyan, who acted in many of his films. Kunchako's

faced heavy losses later, and stopped production.

Family

His grandson,

Kunchacko Boban Kunchacko Boban (born 2 November 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer. Sometimes referred to as Chackochan, he works in the Malayalam film industry and has acted in more than 90 films in more than two decades. He is a member of the List ...

is also a Malayalam film actor. ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...

'', 10 July 2004.

Filmography

Direction

*''

Kannappanunni ''Kannappanunni'' is a 1977 Indian Malayalam-language film based on Kalaripayattu, the traditional martial art of India. It was the 100th film featuring Prem Nazir and Sheela as the leading pair. It was Udaya Studio's 75th film. The film was d ...

'' (1977) *''

Chennai Valarthiya Kutty ''Chennaaya Valarthiya Kutty'' is a 1976 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed and produced by Kunchacko. The film stars Prem Nazir, Sharada, Jayabharathi and Adoor Bhasi. The film has musical score by M. K. Arjunan. Cast * Prem Nazir ...

'' (1976) *''

Mailanum Mathevanum ''Mallanum Mathevanum'' is a 1976 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed and produced by Kunchacko. The film stars Prem Nazir, KP Ummer, Sheela, Adoor Bhasi, Jayan and Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair in the lead roles. The film has musical score b ...

'' (1976) *''

Cheenavala ''Cheenavala'' () is a 1975 Indian Malayalam-language film, produced and directed by Kunchacko. The film stars Prem Nazir, Jayabharathi, K. P. A. C. Lalitha and Adoor Bhasi. The film has musical score and songs composed by M. K. Arjunan. Ca ...

'' (1975) *''

Dharmakshetre Kurukshetre ''Dharmakshetre Kurukshetre'' is a 1975 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed and produced by Kunchacko. The film stars Prem Nazir, Jayabharathi, Adoor Bhasi and Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair. The film has musical score by M. S. Viswanathan an ...

'' (1975) *''

Manishada ''Manishada'' is a 1975 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed and produced by Kunchacko. The film stars Prem Nazir, Srividya, Adoor Bhasi and Sreelatha Namboothiri in the lead roles. The film has musical score by G. Devarajan. Cast *Prem ...

'' (1975) *''

Neela Ponman ''Neelapponmaan'' is a 1975 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed and produced by Kunchacko. The film stars Prem Nazir, KPAC Lalitha, Adoor Bhasi and Sreelatha Namboothiri in the lead roles. The film has musical score by Salil Chowdhary. Ca ...

'' (1975) *''

Durga Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around co ...

'' (1974) *''

Thumbolarcha ''Thumbolarcha'' is a 1974 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed and produced by Kunchacko. The film stars Prem Nazir, Sheela, Srividya and Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair. The film has musical score and songs composed by G. Devarajan. Plot The ...

'' (1974) *''

Pavangal Pennungal ''Pavangal Pennungal'' is a 1973 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed and produced by Kunchacko. The film stars Prem Nazir, Vijayasree, Adoor Bhasi, K. P. Ummer and N. Govindankutty. The film had musical score by G. Devarajan. This was Pre ...

'' (1973) *''

Ponnapuram Kotta Ponnapuram is a village in the Dharapuram taluk within the Tirupur district of Tamil Nadu, India. Agriculture is the main occupation along with vegetable exporting and the generation of power using windmills. The village has a population of ...

'' (1973) *''

Thenaruvi ''Thenaruvi'' is a 1973 Indian Malayalam film, directed and produced by Kunchacko. The film stars Prem Nazir, Vijayasree, Adoor Bhasi, G. K. Pillai and K. P. Ummer in the lead roles. The film had musical score by G. Devarajan. Cast *Prem Naz ...

'' (1973) *''

Aromalunni ''Aromalunni'' is a 1975 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed and produced by Kunchacko, based on ''Vadakkan Pattukal'', a collection of Northern Ballads of medieval origin. The film stars Prem Nazir, Vijayasree, Ravichandran and Sheela i ...

'' (1972) *''

Postmane Kananilla ''Postmane Kananilla'' is a 1972 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by Kunchacko. The film stars Prem Nazir, K. P. Ummer, Vijayasree and KPAC Lalitha. The film's score was composed by G. Devarajan. Cast * Prem Nazir * K. P. Ummer *Vij ...

'' (1972) *'' Panchavan Kadu'' (1971) *'' Dattuputhran'' (1970) *''

Othenente Makan ''Othenente Makan'' () is a 1970 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film directed and produced by Kunchacko. It is a sequel to the 1964 film '' Thacholo Othenan'', followed by ''Kadathanadan Ambadi'' (1990). The film stars Prem Nazir, Ragin ...

'' (1970) *''

Pearl View ''Pearl View'' is a 1970 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by Kunchacko. The film stars Prem Nazir, Sharada, Adoor Bhasi and Manavalan Joseph. It was released on 18 December 1970. Plot Cast *Prem Nazir as Lawrence * Sharada as St ...

'' (1970) *''

Susie Susie is a female name that can be a diminutive form of Susan, Susanne, Suzanne, Susannah, Susanna or Susana. Susie may refer to: Songs * "Susie Q" (song), a 1957 song by Dale Hawkins, covered by Creedence Clearwater Revival (1968) *"Wake U ...

'' (1969) *'' Kodungalluramma'' (1968) *'' Punnapra Vyalar'' (1968) *''

Thirichadi ''Thirichadi'' is a 1968 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed and produced by Kunchacko. The film stars Prem Nazir, Sheela, Adoor Bhasi and Adoor Pankajam. Cast *Prem Nazir as Kuttappan, Venu (double role) *Sheela as Ramani *Adoor Bhasi a ...

'' (1968) *''

Kasavuthattam ''Kasavuthattam'' is a 1967 Indian Malayalam film, directed and produced by Kunchacko. The film stars Prem Nazir, Sharada, Adoor Bhasi and Manavalan Joseph in the lead roles. The film had musical score by G. Devarajan. Cast *Prem Nazir as Abu ...

'' (1967) *'' Mainatharuvi Kola Case'' (1967) *''

Anarkali Anarkali () was a legendary woman said to be loved by the 16th-century Mughal Prince Salim, who later became Emperor Jahangir. According to some accounts, Anarkali was the nickname of the courtesan Nadira Begum or Sharf-un-Nisa, though scho ...

'' (1966) *''Jail'' (1966) *''

Tilottama Tilottama ( sa, तिलोत्तमा, Tilottamā), is an apsara (celestial singer) described in Hindu mythology. "Tilasma" is the Sanskrit word for a small particle and "uttama" means the ultimate. Tilottama, therefore, means the being ...

'' (1966) *'' Inapravugal'' (1965) *''

Shakuntala Shakuntala (Sanskrit: ''Śakuntalā'') is the wife of Dushyanta and the mother of Emperor Bharata. Her story is told in the '' Adi Parva'' of the ancient Indian epic ''Mahabharata'' and dramatized by many writers, the most famous adaption bein ...

'' (1965) *'' Ayesha'' (1964) *''

Pazhassi Raja Pazhassi Raja () (3 January 1753 – 30 November 1805) was known as Kerala Varma and was also known as Cotiote Rajah and Pychy Rajah. He was a warrior Hindu prince and de facto head of the kingdom of Kottayam, otherwise known as Cotiote, in ...

'' (1964) *''

Kadalamma ''Kadalamma'' () is a 1963 Indian Malayalam-language film directed and produced by Kunchacko and written by Ponkunnam Varkey. The film stars Sathyan, Rajasri, B. S. Saroja and Maya in the lead roles. The film had musical score by G. Devarajan. ...

'' (1963) *''

Rebecca Rebecca, ; Syriac: , ) from the Hebrew (lit., 'connection'), from Semitic root , 'to tie, couple or join', 'to secure', or 'to snare') () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical ...

'' (1963) *'' Bharya'' (1962) *'' Palattukoman'' (1962) *''Krishna Kuchela'' (1961/I) *''Unniyarcha'' (1961) *'' Neeli Sally'' (1960) *'' Seeta'' (1960) *''

Umma Umma ( sux, ; in modern Dhi Qar Province in Iraq, formerly also called Gishban) was an ancient city in Sumer. There is some scholarly debate about the Sumerian and Akkadian names for this site. Traditionally, Umma was identified with Tell J ...

'' (1960)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kunchacko Malayalam film directors People from Alappuzha district 1976 deaths 1912 births Kerala State Film Award winners Malayalam film producers Film directors from Kerala 20th-century Indian film directors Film producers from Kerala