Udaya Studios was one of the oldest
film studios
A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company or motion picture company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to make films, which is handled by the productio ...
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 ...
of India. It was established in 1947 by director-producer
Kunchacko
Kunchacko (19 February 1912 – 15 June 1976) was an Indian film producer and director who worked in the Malayalam cinema, Malayalam film industry. His venture Udaya Studios influenced the gradual shift of Malayalam film industry from its origi ...
(1912–1976) and film distributor K. V. Koshy in
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, K ...
,
Alappuzha in
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 ...
. The studio influenced the gradual shift of Malayalam film industry from its original base of
Chennai
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 ...
to
Trivandrum
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
, now considered a milestone in the history of Malayalam film industry.
The first film of the studio was ''
Vellinakshatram'' (1949).
The films produced at the studio were produced under the banner of K & K Combines, and later under Excel Productions (also spelt X. L. Productions). Udaya's professional rivalry with
P. Subramaniam
P. Subramaniam (19 February 1910 – 4 October 1979) was an Indian film producer, film director, distributor, theatre owner, and mayor. He is the founder of Merryland Studio (established in 1951), the second film studio in Kerala.
From mid-19 ...
's
Merryland Studio
Merryland Studio is an Indian film studio based in Trivandrum, Kerala. It was the second film studio in Kerala, established in 1950 by former Trivandrum mayor and businessman P. Subramaniam. He produced 70 films, 59 of them directed by himself ...
was quite famous. After Excel Productions became defunct,
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 ...
established a new film production company named Udaya Pictures in 2016.
History
Kunchacko established a film production company named Udaya Pictures in 1947, though he continued production at traditional base of Malayalam film, Chennai, but it all changed in 1947 when he came together with film distributors K. V. Koshy and R. A. Krishnan and established Udaya Studios in
Alleppey
Alappuzha or Alleppey () is the administrative headquarters of Alappuzha district in state of Kerala, India. The Backwaters of Alappuzha are one of the most popular tourist attractions in India which attracts millions of domestic and internat ...
(
Alappuzha), and in time the studio also set up its own distribution network. Soon it had a string of successes with blockbusters based on Vadakkan Pattu.
*
Unniyarcha
Unniyarcha (sometimes spelled "Uñnįarcha") is a legendary warrior and heroine 16th century mentioned in the ''Vadakkan Pattukal'', a set of historical ballads from northern Kerala, a state in southwestern India. She was a member of a Thiyya ...
(1961)
*
Palattukoman (1962)
*
Othenante Makan (1970)
*
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 ...
(1972)
*
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)
*
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)
*
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)
*
Palattu Kunjikannan
''Paalattu Kunjikannan'' is a 1980 Indian Malayalam-language film directed and produced by Boban Kunchacko. The film stars Prem Nazir, Jayan and Jagathy Sreekumar. The film has musical score by G. Devarajan.
Plot
Palattu Kunjikannan (Prem Na ...
(1980)
After Kunchako's death in 1976, his son, director
Boban Kunchacko Boban ( sr-cyr, Бобан) is a Croatian family name and Serbian, Montenegrin and Macedonian masculine given name. Among Serbs, Montenegrins and Macedonians, Boban might be used as a nickname form of the name "Slobodan" or "Bogdan". Most Croats ...
, took over the functioning, but after his death in 2004 at the age of 55, the studio saw some bad days.
However, Dr. Avinash Unnithan (Suryamangalam Group) has purchased the plot where the studio was located and another studio under a different name is in preparation to be set up, like an air-conditioned shooting floor and other facilities attached to it, but also taking utmost care to preserve the old structures, thereby keeping alive the nostalgic feel of the place.
The legendary Udaya Pictures banner is still owned by famous cine actor
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 ...
, who is also the grandson of Kunchacko. Udaya has made a comeback after 30 years by producing the movie Kocchavva Paulo Ayyappa Coelho.
Resuming production
Years after the defunct Excel Productions,
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 ...
established a new film production company Udaya Pictures and produced the 2016 film ''
Kochauvva Paulo Ayyappa Coelho
''Kochavva Paulo Ayyappa Coelho'' is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama film written and directed by Sidhartha Siva. It is produced by Kunchacko Boban, who also stars in the title role Kochavva along with Master Rudraksh Sudheesh as A ...
'' directed by
Sidhartha Siva
Sidhartha Siva (born 5 May 1985) is an Indian film director, producer, actor, screenwriter and lyricist, who works in Malayalam cinema.
Early life
His hometown is Kaviyoor in Kerala. He is the son of filmmaker Kaviyoor Sivaprasad.
Film career ...
, thus reviving the prestigious Malayalam production house after 30 years.
See also
*
Navodaya Studio
Navodaya Studio is an Indian film studio headquartered at Kochi, Kerala. It is one of the earliest film studios in Kerala, established in 1976 by Navodaya Appachan. Navodaya is known for producing some of the landmark films in Indian cinema.
His ...
*
Merryland Studio
Merryland Studio is an Indian film studio based in Trivandrum, Kerala. It was the second film studio in Kerala, established in 1950 by former Trivandrum mayor and businessman P. Subramaniam. He produced 70 films, 59 of them directed by himself ...
References
External links
Udaya Studiosat ''
Wikimapia
Wikimapia is a geographic online encyclopedia project. The project implements an interactive "clickable" web map that utilizes Google Maps with a geographically-referenced wiki system, with the aim to mark and describe all geographical objects ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Udaya Productions
Film distributors of India
Film production companies of Kerala
Indian film studios
Mass media companies established in 1942
Buildings and structures in Alappuzha
1942 establishments in India