Pappukutty Bhagavathar (29 March 1913 – 22 June 2020) was an Indian singer and actor in

Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam, Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both th ...

Biography

Pappukutty Bhagavathar was born as Joseph on 29 March 1913 to Michael and Anna, at

Vypin Vypin (, Cochin Portuguese: Isla Santa) is one of the group of islands that form part of the city of Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala. Vypin forms a barrier island which lies between the Arabian Sea in the west and the Cochin backwaters ...

in the erstwhile

Kingdom of Cochin The kingdom of Cochin or the Cochin State, named after its capital in the city of Kochi (Cochin), was a kingdom in the central part of present-day Kerala state. It originated in the early part of the 12th century and continued to rule until i ...

. He was the second of five children. He had two brothers, Daniel and Varghese and two sisters, Rosy and Valsala. He studied at Government Boys School, Vypin. He sang for the 2009 released ''

Marykkundoru Kunjaadu ''Marykkundoru Kunjaadu'' () is a 2010 Malayalam-language comedy film directed by Shafi, starring Dileep, Biju Menon and Bhavana in lead roles, with Vijayaraghavan, Vinaya Prasad, Jagathy Sreekumar and Innocent in supporting roles. The film ...

'' at the age of 95, sixty years after he sang his first song for a movie, which made him the oldest

Malayali The Malayali people (; also spelt Malayalee and sometimes known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala and Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India, occupying its south ...

to sing in a film. The song "Entadukke Varum" was a hit. He was married to Baby. They had five children, actor

Mohan Jose Mohan Jose is an Indian actor in Malayalam cinema. He has acted in more than 100 films. He came into the movie industry portraying villains and later began acting in different comedy and character roles. He is the son of singer and actor Pappu ...

, playback singer

Selma George Selma George is an Indian film singer in Malayalam cinema during the 1970s. She sang in 40 films, and her most popular song was "Saradindu Malardeepa" from the 1979 film, ''Ulkadal''. She is the daughter of famous singer Pappukutty Bhagavathar. ...

, Sabu Jose, Shadhi, and Jeevan. His son-in-law K. G. George was a Malayalam movie director. He

turned 100 A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100. Because life expectancies at birth worldwide are well below 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. The United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living centenarian ...

in March 2013. His wife Baby died in 2017. Bhagavathar died in

Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...

in June 2020 at the age of 107 due to an age-related illness. Bhagavathar was the father of actor

and singer

. Malayalam film director K. G. George is his son-in-law.

Awards

* 1991:

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award is an award given by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, an autonomous organisation for the encouragement, preservation, and documentation of the performing arts of Kerala, set up by the Department of Cultu ...

(Drama) * 1997:

(Classical Music) * 2004:

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship The Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship is an honour presented by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, an autonomous organisation for the encouragement, preservation, and documentation of the performing arts of Kerala, set up by the Depar ...

Filmography

As an actor

* '' Prasanna (1950)'' * ''Sthreehrudayam'' (1960) * '' Oraal Koodi Kallanaayi'' (1964) * '' Sree Guruvayoorappan'' (1964) * '' Shyaamala Chechi'' (1965) * '' Muthalaali'' (1965) * ''

Viruthan Shanku ''Viruthan Shanku'' is a 1968 Indian Malayalam-language comedy film directed by P. Venu, starring Adoor Bhasi and Ambika. It revolves around Vikraman, and how he tricks people and steals their valuables in a comic way and also how he wins the he ...

'' (1968) * '' Anchusundarikal'' (1968) * ''

Kaattukurangu ''Kattukurangu'' () is a 1969 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by P. Bhaskaran and written by K. Surendran. The film stars Sathyan, Sharada, Jayabharathi and Kaviyoor Ponnamma. It was released on 6 February 1969. Cast * Sathyan a ...

'' (1969) * '' Padicha Kallan'' (1969) * '' Vilakuranja Manushyar'' (1969) * ''Arjun Dennis'' (Vice Chancellor) (1988)

As a playback singer

* "Vidhiyude Leela"... ''Prasanna'' (1950) * "Kallane Vazhiyil"... ''Karutha Kai'' (1964) * "Kanne Karale"... ''Aashaachakram'' (1973) * "Entadukke Vannadukkum"... ''

'' (2010)

References

* *

External links

Pappukutty Bhagavathar at MSI
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhagavathar, Pappukutty 20th-century Indian male actors 20th-century Indian singers 20th-century Indian male singers Indian male film actors Indian male playback singers Malayalam playback singers Male actors from Kochi Male actors in Malayalam cinema Singers from Kochi 1913 births 2020 deaths Indian men centenarians Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award