In his 60 years of acting career, Madhu played various roles and also became a director-producer.
Published Sep 23, 2023 | 3:07 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 23, 2023 | 3:08 PM
Madhu is celebrating his 90th birthday. (Supplied)
Mammootty and Mohanlal are the superstars of Malayalam cinema. But, did you ever wonder who their favourite actor is? It’s Madhu whom they consider their father figure and guru.
On 23 September, Madhu — the thespian of Malayalam cinema — is celebrating his 90th birthday.
On the occasion, Culture Minister Saji Cherian visited the actor at his residence in Thiruvananthapuram and presented him with a model of a cinema camera designed by the Lumiere brothers. The minister had said that Madhu is the patriarch of the Malayalam film world and had left his indelible impression on all areas of cinema.
In his 60 years of acting career, Madhu played various roles and also became a director-producer.
Madhu was born as R Madhavan Nair on 23 September 1933, to former Thiruvananthapuram mayor R Parameswaran Pillai and Thankamma Pillai. His name was shortened to Madhu upon his entry into the films.
He is an alumnus of the Delhi School of Drama. He started his career as a teacher at Hindu College in Nagercoil but left his job to pursue drama.
He made his acting debut in 1962 with Ninamaninja Kalpadukal and acted in more than 400 films.
Madhu entered films when Sathyan and Prem Nazir were ruling the Malayalam industry.
In an interview, the Malayalam actor recalled that producers used to approach Prem Nazir as he was a bankable actor of those times. Since he wouldn’t be able to do all films, Nazir would suggest that they approach him and other contemporaries like Sukumaran, Vincent, and Soman — who were all juniors then.
Madhu also mentioned in the interview that Nazir was a great human being and a good actor, while Sathyan was like a brother to him.
The veteran actor was also a favourite of the makers of parallel cinema. Classic examples of this are the National Award-winning movie Swayamvaram (1972) and Olavum Theeravum (1960) which helped Madhu carve a niche for himself in the industry.
Madhu was conferred with Padma Shri in 2013. The Kerala State government honoured him with the JC Daniel Award. He was also a five-time Kerala State Film Award winner.
Madhu also acted with Amitabh Bachchan in Saat Hindustani (1969) and directed 12 films.
Once, the actor said he was fed up doing father roles in films and hence shifted to TV serials as the fathers in serials get more prominence.
A scene from Madhu’s old films. (Supplied)
Bhargavi Nilayam is an important film in Madhu’s career. It is the first horror movie in Malayalam and is the tale of an unusual friendship between a writer and a ghost.
Madhu portrayed the role of writer in the flick and his light-hearted conversations with the ghost named Bhargavi was an out-of-the-box theme. Later, the genre became popular in Malayalam.
A remake of Bhargavi Nilayam (Neelavelicham) was released earlier this year by director Ashiq Abu. The movie didn’t go well though.
After watching Neelavelicham, Madhu opined that the music wasn’t up to the mark when compared to his work. However, he praised Ashiq Babu’s efforts.
A discussion on Madhu is incomplete without mentioning his famous movie Chemmeen. His character Pareekutty from the film remains one of his iconic roles.
Directed by Ramu Karyat, it was the third colour film in Malayalam. The love story between Karuthamma and Pareekutty still remains fresh in the minds of older generations and holds a special place among movie buffs.
It was based on Thakazhi Shivasakarapillai’s popular novel of the same name.
Chemmeen was also the first South Indian movie to win the President’s Gold Medal for the best film.
Madhu has acted in more than 400 films. (Supplied)
Eeta is a commercial movie directed by IV Shashi which featured Madhu, Kamal Haasan, and Sheela in pivotal roles.
In the flick, Madhu played the role of Varuthunnu, an individual who would face trouble from his boss.
Kamal Haasan played the role of his son. Both actors entertained the audience with their compelling performances.
Madhu has been living at his house in Kannamoola with his daughter Uma. He once owned a studio named Uma Studio which was sold off in the later years.
According to his family, they aren’t holding any birthday celebrations as the actor likes to lead a simple and normal life.
(With PTI inputs)
