Muraleedharan Pillai, popularly known as Murali ( ml, മുരളി, 25 May 1954 – 6 August 2009) was an Indian film, stage and television actor and author. He mainly appeared in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

films and a few

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

films and also many other movies. He won the

National Film Award for Best Actor The National Film Award for Best Actor, officially known as the Rajat Kamal Award for the Best Actor (), is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India instituted since 1967 to actors who have delivered the best performanc ...

for his portrayal of Appa Mestry, a

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

freedom fighter and professional weaver in the 2002 film ''

Neythukaran Neythukaran is a 2002 Malayalam movie, the first directed by Priyanandanan, starring Murali. It tells the story of a weaver, a supporter of E. M. S. Namboodiripad, who dies the day after his leader dies. Murali won the National Film Award for ...

''. He was known for his powerful portrayal of character roles, lead roles and negative roles. Murali started his film career playing villain roles and soon turned to character acting. He played the leading role in the 1992 film ''

Aadhaaram ''Aadhaaram'' is a 1992 Malayalam-language drama film directed by George Kithu, written by Lohithadas. The film stars Murali as Bapputty, who is trying to rebuild life after completing his prison sentence. The film also features Suresh Gopi, G ...

'', 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

candidate without success. He was also the Director of the

CPI(M) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)/CPIM/CPM) is a Marxist–Leninist communist political party in India. It is the largest communist party of India in terms of membership and electoral seats and one of the na ...

promoted television company ''Malayalam Communications Limited'', which runs Malayalam TV channels

Kairali TV Kairali TV is an Indian Malayalam-language general entertainment television channel owned by Kairali TV Network (Malayalam Communications Limited). It is headquartered at Thiruvananthapuram. It was launched on 17 August 2000. The channel is bac ...

, People TV and We TV. His last film was the 2009 Tamil film '' Aadhavan''. He is one of the founders of the Malayalam film actors association AMMA.

Early life

Murali was born on 25 May 1954 as the first of five children to P. Krishna Pillai and K. Devaki Amma at

Kudavattoor Kudavattoor is a small village of the Kottarakara Taluk in the Kollam district of the Indian state of Kerala. In the local Malayalam language, ''kuda'' means "umbrella" and ''vattor'' "round". A predominantly rural village, Kudavattoor comes ...

Kollam Kollam (), also known by its former name Quilon , is an ancient seaport and city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city i ...

, Kerala, India. He has four siblings, Thulasi, 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 Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

and his Degree from

Devaswom Board Devaswom ( sa, dēvasvaṁ; ) are socio-religious trusts in India, whose members are nominated by the government and community. They oversee Hindu temples and their assets to ensure their smooth operation in accordance with traditional rituals and ...

College,

Sasthamkotta Sasthamkotta, or Sasthamcotta, is a village in the Kunnathoor Tehsil of Kollam district in the state of Kerala, India. Kunnathoor taluk headquarters is located at Sasthamkotta. The Sasthamkotta freshwater lake is the largest freshwater lake ...

. He was an active member of the

Students Federation of India The Students' Federation of India (abbreviated as SFI) is an Indian left-wing student organisation politically aligned to the ideologies of Independence, Democracy and Socialism. Currently, V. P. Sanu and Mayukh Biswas are elected as the All I ...

. He took an

LL.B Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

degree from the Kerala Law Academy Law College,

. After studies, he worked for some years as Lower Division

Clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

in the Department of Health,

Government of Kerala Government of Kerala is the subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision ...

and as Upper Division Clerk in the office of

Kerala University University of Kerala, formerly the University of Travancore, is a state-run public university located in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chit ...

. 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 '' Njattadi '' is a 1979 Malayalam movie directed by Bharath Gopi and written by T.K. Kochu Narayanan, starring Bharat Murali, K.N. Sreenivasan, Sunil, Girija and Kalamandalam Devaki. It marked the debut directorial venture by Bharath Gopi ...

'', directed by

Bharath Gopi Gopynathan Velayudhan Nair (2 November 1937 – 29 January 2008), popularly known by the stage name Bharat Gopy, was an Indian actor, producer and director. He was one of the first actors to be associated with the New Wave cinema movement in ...

. But the film was never released. He then got chance to act in ''Chidambaram'', directed by the National Award-winning filmmaker

Aravindan Aravindan is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: * G. Aravindan (1935–1991), Indian film director, screenwriter, musician, cartoonist, and painter *Aravindan Neelakandan (born 1971), Indian writer *Mala Aravinda ...

. He then acted in ''Meenamasathile Sooryan'' and ''

Panchagni ''Panchagni'' () is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language crime drama film directed by Hariharan and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair. The story is loosely inspired from the life of naxalite K. Ajitha who was part of the naxalite movement in Kerala ...

'', directed by

Lenin Rajendran Lenin Rajendran ( ml, ലെനിൻ രാജേന്ദ്രൻ) was an Indian film director and screenwriter who worked in Malayalam cinema. He served as the Chairman of Kerala State Film Development Corporation from 2016 to January 2019 ...

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. ''

'', 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 Raghava Kurup Narendra Prasad (26 December 1946 3 November 2003) was an Indian actor, playwright, director, teacher and literary critic. He was born at Mavelikkara in the erstwhile Kingdom of Travancore. Appreciated for his body language and ...

. Murali won critical acclaim for his portrayal of

Ravana Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' and its adaptations. In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. He a ...

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 Mahakavi Kumaran Asan (Malayalam: എൻ. കുമാരൻ ആശാൻ) (12 April 1873 – 16 January 1924) was a poet of Malayalam literature, Indian social reformer and a philosopher. He is known to have initiated a revolution in Malayalam ...

, ''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) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)/CPIM/CPM) is a Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist communist List of political parties in India, political party in India. It is the largest communist party of India in term ...

and has contested the 1999 Lok Sabha polls from the Alappuzha constituency as a

Left Democratic Front The Left Democratic Front (LDF) is an alliance of left-wing political parties in the state of Kerala, India. It is the current ruling political alliance of Kerala, since 2016. It is one of the two major political alliances in Kerala, the oth ...

candidate, but lost to V. M. Sudheeran of

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

Death

Murali died in

on 6 August 2009 at the age of 55, due to acute diabetes which led to a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

at 8.20 PM IST. He was cremated with full state honours at his home in

Aruvikkara Aruvikkara is a panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram district in the state of Kerala, India. It is located on the banks of the Karamana River 15 km from Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the state of Kerala in South India and one of the 12 p ...

, which he had bought some years prior to his death.

Awards

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 ...

: * 2001 – Best Actor – ''Neythukaaran'' Kerala State Film Awards: * 1992– Best Actor – ''

'' * 1996 – Best Actor – ''Kaanakkinavu'' * 1998 – Best Actor – ''Thalolam'' * 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 The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...

: * 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 ''Malayala Manorama'' is a morning newspaper in Malayalam published from Kottayam, Kerala, India by the Malayala Manorama Company Limited. Currently headed by Mammen Mathew; it was first published as a weekly on 22 March 1888, and currently has ...

'' newspaper

Filmography

As Actor

Malayalam

Tamil

Telugu

Hindi

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 ''Kuttyedathi'' ( ml, കുട്ട്യേടത്തി, en, Kutty, the Elder Sister) is a 1971 Malayalam language film, directed by P. N. Menon and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair. It was widely regarded as one of the best South Indian f ...

, actress * 2nd (2011) - Manoj K. Jayan, actor * 3rd (2012) -

Kaviyoor Ponnamma Kaviyoor Ponnamma is an Indian actress who appears in Malayalam films and television. She began her career performing in theatre dramas before foraying into cinema. She has also acted in TV serials and commercials and has playback singing cred ...

, actress * 7th (2016) - Surabhi Lakshmi, actress;

Indrans Indrans is an Indian actor and former costume designer, who appears in Malayalam films.His mentor was Shiyas M S, a law college student. He started his film career as a costume designer and actor in 1981 and got a breakthrough in 1994 with the ...

, actor * 9th (2020) -

Vijith Nambiar Vijith Nambiar (born 9 December 1977) is an Indian film director, music composer, playback singer, actor and producer, who works in Malayalam cinema and Tamil cinema. He made his film debut in 1995 as an assistant director in the Tamil film in ...

, director

References

* *

External links

*
Murali at MSI

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murali Best Actor National Film Award winners Politicians from Kollam 2009 deaths Kerala State Film Award winners People from Kollam district Male actors from Kollam 1954 births Indian actor-politicians Male actors in Malayalam cinema Indian male film actors Male actors in Tamil cinema Filmfare Awards South winners Communist Party of India (Marxist) politicians from Kerala Male actors in Malayalam television Indian male television actors 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian male actors 20th-century Indian politicians 21st-century Indian politicians Malayalam film producers Film producers from Thiruvananthapuram Malayalam screenwriters Screenwriters from Thiruvananthapuram 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian screenwriters