South cinema woke up to the tragic news of actor-director Prathap Pothen's tragic demise in his flat in Chennai. He was 69. While the reason of his death isn't confirmed, his loss will be definitely felt by the lovers of South cinema, especially Malayalam and Tamil film industry. Prathap Pothen had acted in more than 100 movies in languages like Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. He had made his debut in 1978 with late Bharathan's Aaravam before achieving breakout success with Thakara the next year, again directed by the same filmmaker. In the '80s, Prathap Pothen was part of several memorable movies like Aarohanam, Lorry, Chamaram, Varumayin Niram Sivappu, Sindoora Sandhyakku Mounam, among others. Prathap Pothen Dies at 69; Prithviraj Sukumaran Confirms the Demise of the Veteran Actor-Director.

He took a break in the mid '90s before returning to acting in 2005, with a notable role in Thanmathra. He also had a brief cameo in Mani Ratnam's Guru, the actor's only Bollywood film to date. Prathap Pothen's last seen role was in Mammootty's suspense thriller CBI 5 - The Brain.

As an actor, Prathap Pothen has done many notable roles, but his stint as a director is often overlooked despite having made some acclaimed movies. This could be so that he hasn't directed a film for the last 25 years. Prathap Pothen has directed 12 movies in total, with his debut directorial Meendum Oru Kaathal Kathai made in Tamil in 1985 winning him Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director. He had also played the lead role of a mentally challenged man in the movie, opposite Radhikaa, whom he married in real life and got separated in 1986.

Watch a Song from Meendum Oru Kaathal Kathai:

In Malayalam, Prathap made his directorial start with the 1987 film Rithubhedam, that starred Balachandra Menon, Thilakan, Geetha, Vineeth, and Monisha Unni. The late Thilakan won the National Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the movie. One of Prathap Pothen's most notable directorials in Malayalam Cinema was Daisy, a coming of age love story set in a boarding school, that starred Harish Kumar (of Coolie No 1 fame) and Sonia in the lead. Kamal Haasan had a memorable extended cameo in the film.

Watch a Song from Daisy:

Prathap also went to direct Kamal Haasan in the blockbuster thriller Vettri Vizhaa, also starring Prabhu, Khusbu Sundar and Amala Akkineni. The interesting part about this film was even before Matt Damon played Jason Bourne in The Bourne Identity, Kamal Haasan took on this role in this film which was based on the Jason Bourne novels.

A Scene From Vettri Vizhaa:

Prathap Pothen's only directorial venture in Telugu was Chaitanya in 1991, which has Nagarjuna in the lead. Some of his other notable directorials were Jeeva, My Dear Marthandan, Magudam, Athma, Lucky Man and Seevalaperi Pandi all in Tamil. Prathap Pothen Death: Rima Kallingal, Manju Warrier And Others Condole Demise Of Malayalam Actor-Director.

Watch a song From Chaitanya:

Prathap Poten's last directorial venture was in Malayalam in 1997, which was Oru Yathramozhi. Based on a story by director Priyadarshan, Oru Yathramozhi had Mohanlal in the lead as a angry young man, who has faced ridicule all his life for not knowing the identity of his father and is thirsting to kill the man whenever he is revealed. Late Sivaji Ganesan had an important role in the film as a merchant from Tamil Nadu who Mohanlal's character befriends, and who turns out to be his father.

Oru Yathramozhi received good reviews, especially for the performances of Mohanlal, Sivaji Ganesan and the late Nedumudi Venu. Even the songs were big hits, though the movie was an average success at the box office. Prathap Pothen didn't venture into big screen directorials after that, though as an actor, he gave some memorable performances this century in films like 22 Female Kottayam, Ayalum Njanum Thammil, Idukki Gold, Bangalore Days, Remo, Kolaiyuthir Kaalam etc. He will be missed. Rest in peace!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 15, 2022 12:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).