Maheshwari Amma, better known by her stage name K. P. A. C. Lalitha, was an Indian film and stage actress who worked primarily in Malyalam. She started her acting career with K. P. A. C., a theatre collective in Kayamkulam, Kerala. In a career spanning five decades, she starred in over 550 films. Lalitha won two

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

for Best Supporting Actress along with four

Kerala State Film Awards The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Ch ...

. In 2009, she was honoured with the

Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award The Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, initially named Raj Kapoor Award for Lifetime Achievement after Raj Kapoor is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films. List of honourees † - Indicates t ...

at the 2009

Filmfare Awards South Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassing ...

. Lalitha latterly served as the chairperson of

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy is located in Thrissur city, of Kerala, in India. It was established on 26 April 1958, inaugurated by then Indian Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The academy started a cultural centre at the Bahrain Ker ...

. She was married to the late Malayalam filmmaker

Bharathan Bharathan (14 November 1946 – 30 July 1998) was an Indian film maker, artist, and art director. Bharathan is noted for being the founder of a new school of film making in Malayalam cinema, along with Padmarajan and K. G. George, in the ...

Early life

Lalitha was born as Maheshwari Amma in a Malayalam speaking family at Kayamkulam. She was born to Kadaykatharayil Veettil K. Ananthan Nair and Bhargavi Amma, as the eldest among five children; her four siblings were Indira, Babu, Rajan and Shyamala. She is the child born 5 years after her Parent's marriage. Her father was a photographer who was from Kayamkulam and mother was a housewife who was from Aranmula. She was her Father's pet while her Mother was very strict. She spent most of her childhood at Ramapuram near Kayamkulam. Her family migrated to Changanassery, Kottayam for her to join dance class. In a young age itself she had very much interest in dance. She learned to dance when she was a child under the guidance of Chellappan Pillai and then under Kalamandalam Gangadharan. She started acting in plays when she was 10 years old. Her first appearance on stage was in the play ''Geethayude Bali''. She later joined K.P.A.C. (

Kerala People's Arts Club Kerala People's Arts Club (KPAC) is a theatrical movement in Kayamkulam, Kerala, India. It was formed in the 1950s by a group of individuals having close ties with Communist Party of India in Kerala. KPAC was very influential in popularising t ...

), which was a prominent leftist drama troupe in Kerala. She was given the screen-name Lalitha and later, when she started acting in movies, the tag K.P.A.C. was added to her screen-name to differentiate it from another actress known as Lalitha.

Acting career

Her first movie was the film adaptation of ''Koottukudumbam'' directed by

K. S. Sethumadhavan K. S. Sethumadhavan (15 May 1931 – 24 December 2021) was an Indian film director and screenwriter who worked predominantly in Malayalam cinema. He also directed films in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Since the early 1960s, he directed over 60 mo ...

. In 1978 she married

, a noted Malayalam film director. She took a break from film acting for sometime, doing only a few films. The second era of her career started with ''

Kattathe Kilikkoodu ''Kattathe Kilikkoodu'' () is a 1983 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by Bharathan and written by T. Damodaran from a story by Nedumudi Venu. The film was produced by P. V. Gangadharan and stars Bharat Gopy, Mohanlal, Srividya, Rev ...

'' (1983) directed by her husband. Her pairing with Innocent was hugely popular with the audience between 1986 and 2006 with successful films like Gajakesariyogam, Apporvam Chillar, Makkal Mahatmiyam, Shubha Yatra, My Dear Muthachan, Kannanum Polisum, Arjunan Pillaiyum Anju Makkalum, Injankaddai Mathan and Sons, Pavam Pavam Rajakumaram. During this time, she did many critically acclaimed roles including those in '' Kattukuthira'' (1990), ''Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam'' (1986), ''Ponn Muttyidunna Tharavu'' (1988), Kottayam Kunjachan (1990), ''

Vadakkunokkiyantram ''Vadakkunokkiyantram'' () is a 1989 Indian Malayalam-language black comedy film written and directed by Sreenivasan who also stars in the film along with Parvathy. The film is about the marital discord caused by a husband's othello syndrome. T ...

'' (1989), ''

Innathe Program ''Innathe Program'' is a 1991 Indian Malayalam film, directed by P. G. Vishwambharan and produced by Changanassery Basheer. The film stars Mukesh, Siddique, Radha (in her final Malayalam film to date), A. C. Zainuddin and Philomina in the l ...

'' (1991), ''Dasharatham'' (1989), Kanalkkattu (1991),''Venkalam'' (1993), '' Godfather'' (1991), ''

Amaram ''Amaram'' () is a 1991 Indian Malayalam drama film directed by Bharathan and written by A. K. Lohithadas. It stars Mammootty, Maathu, K. P. A. C. Lalitha, Ashokan, Murali, Chitra, and Kuthiravattam Pappu in the main roles. The film's scor ...

'' (1991), ''Vietnam Colony'' (1993), ''

Pavithram ''Pavithram'' () is a 1994 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by T. K. Rajeev Kumar and written by P. Balachandran from a story by Balachandran and Kumar. The film stars Mohanlal and Shobana in lead roles. Vinduja Menon, Thilakan, ...

'' (1993), '' Manichitrathazhu'' (1994), ''

Spadikam ''Spadikam'' () is a 1995 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film written and directed by Bhadran and produced by R. Mohan through Shogun Films. Dialogues were written by Rajendra Babu. The film stars Mohanlal and Thilakan with Urvashi, ...

'' (1995), and ''

Aniyathipraavu ''Aniyathipraavu'' () is a 1997 Indian Malayalam-language romance film directed by Fazil and produced by Swargachitra Appachan. It stars debutant Kunchacko Boban and Shalini (thereby, making their cinematic debut in leading roles). The film tell ...

'' (1997). She won the

National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress The National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress is an honour presented annually at India's National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), an organisation set up by the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcast ...

for her performance in ''

'' (1991), a film directed by her husband

. In 1998, when her husband

died, she took a break for a few months, only to come back with an acclaimed performance in

Sathyan Anthikkad Sathyan Anthikad is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and lyricist who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. In a career spanning five decades he has directed more than 50 films, been the lyricist for 12 films and been the scriptwriter f ...

directed ''Veendum Chila Veetukaryangal'' (1999). K.P.A.C. Lalitha's notable roles after that were in ''

Shantham ''Shantham'' ( en, Calmness, italic=yes) is a Malayalam feature film directed by Jayaraj. It stars I M Vijayan, a leading Indian football player of modern times, M G Shashi, Seema Biswas and K P A C Lalitha. The renowned Kathakali artiste Kal ...

'' (2000), ''Life Is Beautiful'' (2000) and ''Valkannadi'' (2002). She won her second

for her role in ''Shantham'' (2000), directed by

Jayaraj Jayarajan Rajasekharan Nair, professionally credited as Jayaraj, is an Indian filmmaker, who predominantly works in Malayalam film industry. He has won many awards, including Crystal Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Golden ...

. K.P.A.C. Lalitha acted in over 500 films in Malayalam cinema. Apart from Malayalam, she acted in some Tamil films including ''

Kadhalukku Mariyadhai ''Kadhalukku Mariyadhai'' () is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language musical romantic drama film directed by Fazil. It is the Tamil remake of Fazil's own Malayalam film ''Aniyathipraavu'' (1997). The film stars Vijay and Shalini (reprising her rol ...

'' (1997), Maniratnam's '' Alai Payuthey'' (2000) and '' Kaatru Veliyidai'' (2017). Particularly, her performance in Tamil film ''

'' as Shalini's mother won her critical acclaim.

Personal life and death

Lalitha has a daughter Sreekutty and a son Sidharth who debuted as an actor in the movie ''Nammal'', which was directed by Kamal. After a short career in acting, he chose a career in film direction. In 2012, he made his directorial debut with '' Nidra'', which is the remake of 1984 film with the same title written and directed by his father

. She published an autobiography, titled ''Katha Thudarum'' (''Story To Be Continued''), which won the

Cherukad Award Cherukad Award is an annual award given for literary works in Malayalam. The award was instituted in 1978 by Cherukad Smaraka Trust at Perinthalmanna, Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November ...

in 2013. Lalitha died in

Thrippunithura Thrippunithura or Tripunithura (), is a prominent historical and residential region in the City of Kochi in Kerala, India. Located about 7 km (4 mi) from the city centre, Tripunithura was the capital of the erstwhile Kingdom of Cochin ...

on 22 February 2022, at the age of 74. She had been hospitalized since November 2021 due to multiple health issues, including liver ailment and diabetes. Her mortal remains was taken to her home in Wadakkancherry, and was cremated with full state honours.

Filmography

Awards

;

* 1990: Best Supporting Actress – ''

'' * 2000: Best Supporting Actress – ''

'' ;

* 1975: Second Best Actress – '' Neela Ponman'', ''Onnum Lelle'' (1975) * 1978: Second Best Actress – ''Aaravam'' * 1990: Second Best Actress – ''

'' * 1991: Second Best Actress – ''

Kadinjool Kalyanam ''Kadinjool Kalyanam'' () is a 1991 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film directed by Rajasenan and starring Jayaram, Urvashi and Innocent. The film marks the first collaboration of Rajasenan and Jayaram. The film was dubbed in Tamil as ' ...

'', '' Godfather'', '' Sandesam'' ;

Asianet Film Awards The Asianet Film Awards is an award ceremony for films presented annually by Asianet, a Malayalam-language television network from the south-Indian state of Kerala. Asianet says that awards ceremony has been instituted to honour both artis ...

* 2000: Best Supporting Actress – ''

'' * 2007: Best Supporting Actress – ''Thaniye'', '' Nasrani'', '' Aakasham'' * 2011: Best Supporting Actress – ''

Snehaveedu ''Snehaveedu'' () is a 2011 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film written and directed by Sathyan Anthikad. It was produced by Alan Richard under the company Aashirvad Cinemas. The film stars Mohanlal, Sheela, and Rahul Pillai. It was Moh ...

'' ;

* 2009:

; Other awards * 2007: Premji Award * 2009: Thoppil Bhasi Prathibha Award * 2009: Annual Malayalam Movie Award (Dubai) for Best Outstanding Performances * 2010: Bharat Murali Award * 2011:

Bahadoor Padiyath Kochumoideen Kunjalu (1930 22 May 2000), known by his stage name Bahadoor, was an Indian actor and comedian who, along with Adoor Bhasi, redefined the way in which comedy and funny scenes were perceived in the Malayalam cinema. They ...

Award * 2011:

Kambisseri Karunakaran Sri. P. N. Karunakaran (Puthenveettil Narayanan Karunakaran), popularly known as Kambisseri Karunakaran (3 March 1922 – 27 July 1977) was an Indian journalist who wrote in Malayalam language. He was the chief editor of '' Janayugam Daily'', ...

Award *2012: Thoppil Bhasi Prathibha Award *2013: MT Chandrasenan Award * 2013: Cherukad Award for Literature for Autobiography "Katha Thudarum" (Writer) * 2014: Kalaratna Fellowship by

* 2014: Sangam Lifetime Achievement Award * 2014:Vanithalokam Award * 2015: Part-Ono Films- ''Samaadharanam''-'Prashasthipathram' * 2015:

SIIMA Lifetime Achievement Award SIIMA Lifetime Achievement Award is an award presented by Vibri media group as part of its annual South Indian International Movie Awards for the person who contributed much to the film industry. It was instituted in 2012, with Ambareesh ...

* 2015: Vanitha Film Award – Lifetime Achievement * 2015:TCR Bharath P.J.Antony Smaraka Abhinaya Prathibha Award * 2015:IIFA Awards IIFA Utsavam - Performance in a Supporting Role (Female) - Nominated * 2016: Parabrahma Chaithanya Award * PK Rosy Award * Devarajan Master Award * Good Knight Film and Business Awards 2017

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lalitha, K.P.A.C. 2022 deaths 20th-century Indian actresses 21st-century Indian actresses Best Supporting Actress National Film Award winners Kerala State Film Award winners People from Aranmula Indian television actresses Actresses from Kerala Indian film actresses Filmfare Awards South winners Actresses in Malayalam cinema Actresses in Tamil cinema Actresses from Thrissur Indian voice actresses Actresses in Malayalam television Indian stage actresses Actresses in Malayalam theatre Indian actresses South Indian International Movie Awards winners 1947 births