Murali

Naan Kadavul Murali

Muraleedharan Pillai (25 May 1954 – 6 August 2009), better known by his stage name Murali, was an Indian film, stage and television actor and author. He mainly appeared in Malayalam films and a few Tamil films. He won the National Film Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Appa Mestry, a communist freedom fighter and professional weaver, in the 2002 film Neythukaran. He was known for his power...

Muraleedharan Pillai (25 May 1954 – 6 August 2009), better known by his stage name Murali, was an Indian film, stage and television actor and author. He mainly appeared in Malayalam films and a few Tamil films. He won the National Film Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Appa Mestry, a communist freedom fighter and professional weaver, in the 2002 film Neythukaran. He was known for his powerful portrayal of character roles, lead roles and negative roles, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors in Malayalam cinema. Murali started his film career playing villain roles and soon turned to character acting. He played the leading role in the 1992 film Aadhaaram, which gave a "break" to his career. The film was well received at the box office and Murali ascended to the status of a star in Malayalam cinema, which he enjoyed for a few years during the 1990s. Besides acting, he was the chairman of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy from 2006 until his death. He also authored five books, and was also a Sangeetha Nataka Academy award winner. He contested at the 1999 Lok Sabha polls as a communist candidate without success. He was also the Director of the CPI(M) promoted television company Malayalam Communications Limited, which runs Malayalam TV channels Kairali TV, People TV and We TV. His last film was the 2011 film Ven Shankhu Pol. He is one of the founders of the Malayalam film actors association AMMA. Early life Muraleedharan Pillai was born on 25 May 1954 as the first of five children to P. Krishna Pillai and K. Devaki Amma at Kudavattoor, Kollam, Kerala, India. His four siblings are: Thulaseedharan, Sheela, Harikumar and Sheeja. He did his schooling from Kudavattoor L. P. School and Thrikannamangalam S. K. V. High School. He passed the pre-degree from M.G. College, Thiruvananthapuram and his Degree from Devaswom Board College, Sasthamkotta. He was an active member of the Students Federation of India. He took an LL.B degree from the Kerala Law Academy Law College, Thiruvananthapuram. After studies, he worked for some years as Lower Division clerk in the Department of Health, Government of Kerala and as Upper Division clerk in the office of Kerala University. He was married to his first cousin Mini and has a daughter Karthika. His daughter married Sonoop R. Nair on 15 July 2016. Career Film actor Murali debuted in films with the lead role in Njattadi, directed by Bharath Gopi. But the film was never released. He then got chance to act in Chidambaram, directed by the National Award-winning filmmaker Aravindan. He then acted in Meenamasathile Sooryan and Panchagni, directed by Lenin Rajendran and Hariharan, respectively. Panchagni got released first and it gave him the break in his acting career. He soon established himself as a powerful actor in the Malayalam film industry. Aadhaaram, directed by George Kittu, was the first film to be released with Murali in a lead role. He acted in a variety of roles, ranging from lead roles to villain roles, and won accolades. Some of his other notable films include Nee Ethra Dhanya, Dhanam, The King, Pathram, Chakoram, Veeralippattu, Achan Kombathu Amma Varambathu, Meenamasathile Sooryan, Swarnam, Kaarunyam and The Truth"Amaram". Also worth-mentioning are his remarkable portrayals as a toddy tapper in Malayogam and as trade union leader in Varavelppu. Murali acted in the longest TV commercial ever on Indian TV, spanning 150 seconds. This was for Air Deccan in 2005. Stage actor Murali was actively involved with Natyagriham, a drama venture started by actor Narendra Prasad. Murali won critical acclaim for his portrayal of Ravana in the Malayalam play Lanka Lakshmi, which was based on C. N. Sreekantan Nair's novel of the same name. He was also associated with G. Sankara Pillai in doing theatre plays. Author Murali authored five books. His book on Kumaranasan, Abhinethavum Asan Kavithayum (Actor and Asan's Poetry) won him the Sangeetha Nataka Academy award. One of his other critically acclaimed books was Abhinyathinte Rasathanthram (Chemistry of Acting). Politician Murali was a member of Communist Party of India (Marxist) and contested the 1999 Lok Sabha polls from the Alappuzha constituency as a Left Democratic Front candidate, but lost to V. M. Sudheeran of Indian National Congress. Death Murali died in Thiruvananthapuram on 6 August 2009 at the age of 55, due to acute diabetes which led to a heart attack at 8.20 PM IST. He was cremated with full state honours at his home in Aruvikkara, which he had bought some years prior to his death. Awards National Film Awards: 2001 – Best Actor – Neythukaaran Kerala State Film Awards: 1992– Best Actor – Aadhaaram 1996 – Best Actor – Kaanakkinavu 1998 – Best Actor – Thalolam (film) 2001 – Best Actor – Neythukaaran 1991 – Second Best Actor – Amaram 2007 – Second Best Actor – Veeralipattu, Pranayakalam Kerala state TV Awards 2008– Kerala State Television Award for Best Actor – Aranazhikaneram Filmfare Awards: 1992 – Best Actor – Aadharam Other awards: Madras Film Fans Award Kerala Film Critics Award Shivaram Award Best columnist award: for his feature "Vyazhaporul" in the Malayala Manorama newspaper Filmography As actor Malayalam Tamil Other language films Story Ennu Nadhante Nimmi (1986) Television career Aranazhika Neram (Amrita TV) Sakunam ( DD Malayalam) Posthumous recognition The Bharat Murali Cultural Centre was established at his birthplace, Kudavattoor. It presents the annual Bharat Murali Award to distinguished contributors to Malayalam cinema. 1st (2010) - K. P. A. C. Lalitha, actress; Kuttyedathi, actress 2nd (2011) - Manoj K. Jayan, actor 3rd (2012) - Kaviyoor Ponnamma, actress 7th (2016) - Surabhi Lakshmi, actress; Indrans, actor 9th (2020) - Vijith Nambiar, director References "Bharath Murali". kerala.com. 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2020. "Malayalam film veteran Murali passes away". Hindustan Times. 7 August 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2020. External links Murali at IMDb Murali at MSI Official Website of Information and Public Relation Department of Kerala