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| film Vaishali |
In a country
like India where language changes every few hundred kilometers, it would be ridiculous
for an actor to stick to just his mother tongue when it comes to choice of films,
as that will mean drawing a very close circle around the range of characters he
or she would end up doing in a lifetime. So understandably there are countless
crossover collaborations flushing the language barrier down the tube. In
Malayalam films we have had numerous non-Malayali actors from all over the
country portraying incredible characters that are not just memorable but also amazing
depictions winning coveted awards and everything. Following is a list of such memorable
performances, some of which are so iconic they have earned a place in Malayalam
pop culture, although they are not all famous for necessarily playing Malayalam
speaking characters.
25. Atul Kulkarni in Thalappavu
Two-time Nation Award
winning Atul Kulkarani was an aptly disturbing presence in Madhupal’s
directorial debut Thalappavu as the
iniquitous landlord Krishnadeva Saivar whose womanizing affinities and
heartless reign over the oppressed laborers leaves a lasting impression on the
whole film with the short span he appears in it in a creepily lecherous verve.
24. Bhanupriya in Rajashilpi
Bhanupriya made her debut in
Malayalam with the spiritually twisted Rajashilpi opposite Mohanlal, and her
role in this reinterpretation of the Shiva-Sati legend from Hindu Mythology was
a sensuous burst in the otherwise barren, dust laden landscape of the film’s
setting. Although she would do more Malayalam films in the coming years, she is
always remembered for this one more than any else.
23. Vishnuvardhan in Kauravar
Superstar Vishnuvardhan’s
foray into Malayalam was a fitting one in his portrayal of a proficient police
officer in Joshiy’s crime drama Kauravar.
The angry young man from the Kannada film industry couldn’t have asked for a
better role than the hard-hitting cop with a soft core that he played with
style opposite Mammootty to contribute to the huge success of the film.
22. Amrish Puri in Kalapani
The Malayalam debut of the
timeless villain of Indian Cinema happened in the acclaimed Independence
struggle epic Kalapani and here he
was at his venomous best! In fact he was more intimidating than the film’s
chief villain, played by Alex Draper, with his unsettling portrayal of the sadistic
jail warden who can send chill up your spines years later.
21. Sarathkumar in Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja
Now we cannot imagine
another face on M.T.’s Edachena Kunkan, the powerful army chief of Pazhassi
Raja, but that of the rugged yet striking countenance of Sarathkumar, whose
portrayal of the revolutionary was not just memorable but also an asset to the
war film that had a liberal share of action which is invariably one of his
strong suits.
20. Suparna Anand in Vaishali
The provocative vamp from
Bharathan’s Vaishali has forever been
etched in our memory as the sensational siren from the golden era of Malayalam
cinema frozen in time. Perhaps it was not all performance that worked in actor
Suparna Anand’s favor, but the appropriateness in casting and the freshness in
the character had a lot to contribute to immortalizing that image.
19. Jaya Prada in Pranayam
Jaya Prada’s love-torn middle-aged
romantic in Blessy’s Pranayam is one
of the most poignant female characters in Malayalam films in recent times.
Originally from Andhra Pradesh, she has a career ranging in multiple languages
and a handful of them in Malayalam too, of which her part in the love triangle
in Pranayam stands out in both depth
and character.
18. Nitish Bharadwaj in Njan Gandharvan
A short while after having
the nation in his spell as Lord Krishna in B. R. Chopra’s magnum opus Mahabharath, he repeated the magic as
the heavenly being in Padmarajan’s ill-fated fantasy love story. His
association with the TV epic did not only elevate his casting significance, but
also helped us buy the illusory conundrum in the film hook, line and sinker!
17. Tabu in Kalapani
Nobody else could have pulled
off so much natural innocence as Tabu in Kalapani
as the bereaved wife of the wrongly imprisoned protagonist. Not just that, looking
no less Malayali, she even added a fair share of her own quirks to the
character bringing the naivety of the country lass in erstwhile British India really
closer to our hearts.
16. Gautami in Sukrutham
As admitted by the actor
herself, the troubled wife of the dying protagonist in Sukrutham was one of her most emotionally draining roles to date. Even
though Gautami had acted in other notable and successful Malayalam films, this
one particularly stands out for beaming an uncomfortable torch at the rough
side of human forbearance with so much refinement.
15. Seema Biswas in Shantham
It should not come as a
surprise that talented actor Seema Biswas pulled off the role of the pained
mother of an accidental political murderer with great conviction and refrain in
Jayaraj’s Shantham given her
illustrious repertoire. Kudos to the effortlessness with which she slipped into
the rural Malayali spirit hailing from a place that couldn’t have been further
away from its ways.
14. Amala in Ente Sooryaputhrikku
Born to a Bengali father and
an Irish mother, it was a long way before Amala Mukherjee landed the role of the
quirky and volatile protagonist in Fazil’s Ente
Sooryaputhrikku, and that she so effortlessly portrayed with delightful
chutzpah elevating the role to the stature of one of the greatest female
characters in the history of Malayalam cinema.
13. Prabhu in Kalapani
The only character whose presence
occasionally lightens the grim and grimy prison atmosphere in Priyadarshan’s
epic period drama is the portly Tamilian whom the protagonist befriends in the wretched
prison cell, and there couldn’t have been a better choice for the role than the
adorable Prabhu whose candid bonding with Mohanlal, who plays the lead, is one
of the major highpoints of Kalapani.
12. Smita Patil in Chidambaram
Her casting had a great deal
to contribute to the commercial success of this independent film by G.
Aravindan. Her portrayal of a naïve girl who given the exposure evolves from a
timid recluse from a village in Tamil Nadu to a sociable jobseeker in a high
range farm in Kerala, is brilliant, and her identity as a Marathi did not contest
one bit the credibility of the character.
11. Raghuvaran in Daivathinte Vikrithikal
Reghuvaran may have been
born in Palakkad, but having been raised in Coimbatore and establishing a
career predominantly in Tamil films, he has earned a place on this list. His
character as the dispossessed Alphonse in Daivathinte
Vikrithikal especially stood out in his repertoire, and he was a strong
contender for the National Film Award for
Best Actor for this role.
10. Geeta in Panchagni
Geeta must have acted in
more number of Malayalam films than a majority of the successful Malayalam
speaking female actors. Her portrayal of Indira, inspired by the real life naxalite Ajitha, in Panchagni is arguably her best in any language, and her performance
had a great deal to contribute to the character’s elevation as one of the most
powerful protagonists on Malayalam screen.
9. Anupam Kher in Pranayam
Anupam Kher has said that
his role in Blessy’s Pranayam was
easily one of the seven best films of his career, and one cannot agree more
with the actor as his delicate portrayal of Achutha Menon, an ageing football
player, whose life crosses paths with that of his ex-wife and her crippled
husband, will make you absolutely fall in love the character.
8. Sumalatha in Thoovanathumbikal
After a point we slowly
chose to forget the fact that Sumalatha is not really a Malayali by birth. Her
presence was an elevation of sorts to Malayalam movies of the 80s, and her stint
during what is still remembered as the
golden era will be cherished through her incredible portrayal of the
complex heroin of Thoovanathumbikal, one
of the best Malayalam films ever made.
7. Naseeruddin Shah in Ponthan Mada
One of the stalwarts in
Indian Cinema, Naseerudhin Shah’s foray into Malayalam films was through T.V.
Chandran’s critically acclaimed Ponthan
Mada, and his role as the colonial landlord Sheema Thampan who strikes up an
unlikely friendship with the titular Mada, is one of his most distinct
performances that is as profound as the nutty idiosyncrasies of the exiled
Irishman’s dreamy spirits.
6. Suhasini in Ezhuthappurangal
Suhasini has been a staple
to meaningful Malayalam films ever since Padmarajan introduced her in Koodevide? in 1983. In Ezhuthappurangal, her evocative
portrayal of the emotional core of a trio of friends all of who are women
hounded by the dogmatism of a vicious society even fetched her the Kerala State Film Award for best actress
of the year.
5. Madhavi in Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha
Madhavi’s Unniyaracha in
M.T. ‘s reinterpretation of the Northern Ballads was key in pitching the
alternative reality to an audience that was used to an infamous Chandu, and
that she performed with grace and regal conviction plumping up the role of the
complex warrior who was also an unhappy wife and a crafty lover at the same
time.
4. Nandita Das in Kannaki
The beautiful actress of
mixed Oriya and Gujarati descent was an apt choice for Cleopatra, the titular
role in Jayaraj’s adaptation of the Shakespearean play. She not only
effortlessly fit in, but her controlled sensuous energy was pivotal in binding
the sprawling scope of the majestic play to the traditional roots by never
going overboard in a role that could easily have been parodied as vulgar.
3. Rajit Kapoor in Agnisakshi
This is the first time a
non-Malayalam speaking male actor bagged a Kerala
State Film Award for Best Actor. Rajit Kapoor was subtle and moving as the gauche
yet insightful Namboothiri, imprisoned by the traditional beliefs of a joint
Brahmin family, who despite knowing the winds of change outside his illam, willingly shuts out all that will
not be accepted by his conservative family.
2. Sharada in Thulabharam
Like Geeta, Madhavi,
Suhasini and Sumalatha, it must be surprising to see Sharada also on the list,
as she is considered one of our own, not just for the sheer number of films she
did in Malayalam, but for the exclusivity with which she focused on it. For
this disturbing role of a mother who is on trial for having murder her own
children, she also won a National Award.
1. Kamal Haasan in Chanakyan
One of the best actors
working in Indian Cinema today, Kamal Haasan is known and admired for adapting
to new climates with the cunning of a chameleon. In addition to his stellar
performance in this revenge drama, he dubbed for himself and made this role memorable
in his characteristic Malayalam that is not one bit tainted by the lilts of his
mother tongue.
Then there are also…
Amol Palekar in Olangal
Prashanth in Perumthachan
Zarina Wahab in Adaminte Makan Abu
Padmapriya in Kazhcha
Nina Gupta in Vasthuhara
Nasar in Dhanam
Juhi Chawla in Harikrishnans
Pooja Batra in Megham
Alex Draper in Kalapani
Abbas in Kannezhithi Pottum thottu
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