E. P. P. Sukumaran Nair (10 June 1948 – 16 June 1997), known mononymously as Sukumaran, was an Indian actor and producer of Malayalam films. Sukumaran became a popular film star in Malayalam cinema during the 1970s. He was considered one of the superstar trios of Malayalam cinema during the late 1970s and early 1980s along with Soman and

Jayan Krishnan Madhavan Nair (25 July 1939 – 16 November 1980), better known by his stage name Jayan, born as the son of Madhavan Pillai (Kerala title), Pillai and Bharathiyamma in Kollam district, Kollam, was an Indian actor, Officer (armed forc ...

. Later, he became known for his character roles and antagonistic roles during the 1980s and 1990s, notably the villain in '' CID Unnikrishnan B.A., B.Ed.'' (1994) and '' Onnaam Muhurtham'' (1991), playing character roles in films like '' Souhrudam'' (1990). In 1978, he won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in M. T. Vasudevan Nair's '' Bandhanam''. As a producer, he produced such films as '' Irakal'' and '' Padayani''. On 16 June 1997, Sukumaran suffered a massive heart attack and died. He was 49 at the time of his death.

Early life

Sukumaran was born at Edappal, Ponnani taluk, Malabar District, Madras Presidency,

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

(present-day Malappuram District,

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...

) in the year 1948 as the eldest son of Parameshwaran Nair and Subhadra P. Nair.Weblokam �
Profile: Page 2
He had two younger brothers and a sister. (Dr. Sethumadhavan, Dr. Sivadasan, and Sathee Devi). Sukumaran was educated at St. Thomas Higher Secondary School, Pala and at Church Mission Society Higher Secondary School, Thrissur. After completing his master's degree in English literature from University College, Thiruvananthapuram, with a gold medal, he began a job as a college lecturer for three years at Government College, Kasaragod, and at Scott Christian College, Nagercoil.

Career

During his tenure teaching English at Scott Christian College in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, Sukumaran got an offer to act in the Malayalam movie '' Nirmalyam'', directed by M. T. Vasudevan Nair. He accepted the role of a defiant youngster in the film. The film went on to win accolades from all over and won a couple of National Film Awards as well. Despite being noted as a talented actor, Sukumaran did not receive any offers for some time after. He was thinking of returning to the teaching profession, when he was offered a role in ''Shankupushpam''. With that film, Sukumaran carved a niche for himself in the Malayalam film industry. He worked with director P. Venu in the film ''Thacholi Thankappan'' (1983). ''Thakilu Kottampuram'', directed by Balukiriyath was one of his Best films in the 80s, He then went on to act in substantial roles in films such as '' Avalude Ravukal'', ''Angadi'', ''Bandhanam'', ''Etho Oru Swapnam'', ''Manasa Vacha Karmana'', ''Ahimsha'', ''Spodanam'', '' Shalini Ente Koottukari'', ''Angakkuri'', '' Kolilakkam'', ''Theekkadal'', ''Sandarbam'', ''

Witness In law, a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, either oral or written, of what they know or claim to know. A witness might be compelled to provide testimony in court, before a grand jur ...

'' and ''Kottayam Kunjachanan''. By the year 1985, he had stopped playing hero roles. His role as a defiant police officer in '' Oru CBI Diary Kurippu'' and its sequel '' Jagratha'', directed by K. Madhu, was noted for its characterisation and earned cult status when the third sequel in the series, '' Sethurama Iyer CBI'', had Sai Kumar portraying the son of the police officer, with the mannerisms and voice tone of Sukumaran. Sukumaran won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor in 1978 for his role in ''Bandhanam''. Sukumaran had his own production company, called Indraraj Creations. One of his productions ''Irakal'', directed by K. G. George, was selected for the Indian Panorama in the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) had sidelined and unofficially banned Sukumaran from films for around three years during the mid-90s, for some of the comments he made on the industry and its politics. His last film was ''Shibiram'', directed by T. S. Suresh Babu.

Personal life

Sukumaran married actress Mallika Sukumaran on 17 October 1978. They have two sons who both work in Malayalam film industry; Indrajith Sukumaran and Prithviraj Sukumaran. Actress Poornima Mohan and journalist Supriya Menon are his daughters-in-law. His grand daughter Prarthana Indrajith is a playback singer. Sukumaran died due to a massive

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on 16 June 1997.

Awards

* Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor – 1978 – ''Bandhanam'' (directed by M. T. Vasudevan Nair)

Filmography

1970s

1980s

1990s

Producer

*'' Irakal'' (1985) * ''Padayani'' (1986)

References

External links

*
Sukumaran at MSI
{{Authority control 1948 births 1997 deaths Male actors in Malayalam television Indian male television actors Male actors from Kerala Kerala State Film Award winners People from Malappuram district Male actors in Malayalam cinema Indian male film actors Malayalam film producers 20th-century Indian male actors Film producers from Thiruvananthapuram Kerala Film Critics Awards winners