Five memorable Malayalam roles of Prathap Pothen

Prathap Pothen immortalised quite a few characters in his 44-year-long career.

There won’t be those dimpled playful smiles anymore as Prathap Pothen is no more. The beloved Malayalam actor, scenarist and filmmaker, who passed away on July 15 in his apartment in Chennai, has left an indelible mark on South Indian cinema, especially in Malayalam and Tamil.

Although a talented filmmaker, Prathap started out as an actor in 1978 in maestro Bharathan’s 1978 Malayalam movie Aaravam, and shone in both quirky and serious roles. This is a list of five of his most memorable performances in Malayalam cinema:

Also read: Suhasini Maniratnam’s tribute to her dear friend, Prathap

Prathap’s knack to be charmingly quirky was showcased in his debut movie itself. He played the irrepressible Kokkarako Annan who, as the name suggests, was so obsessed with roosters that he always carried around two, whom he considered as his sons. In a movie dominated by a brilliant Nedumudi Venu as the eccentric hunter Maruthu, Prathap and his roosters managed to be almost as memorable.

Where to watch: YouTube

One his best performances, Prathap played to perfection the character of an mentally-challenged orphan infatuated by Subashini, the dream girl of his village, in this Bharathan movie that is now considered a cult classic. Prathap effortlessly portrayed the naivete and awkwardness of Thakara who has no idea how to handle a crush and ends up cultivating a violent obsession misguided by his hedonist mentor Chellappan Aashari, played by Nedumudi Venu, with whom he had a wonderful onscreen rapport.

Where to watch: YouTube