Ratheesh (1954–2002) was an Indian actor best known for his work in

Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, '' Elippathaya ...

. He was a native of

Kalavoor Kalavoor is a village located in National Highway 66 at Alappuzha district in the Indian state of Kerala. Location Kalavoor is to the north of Alappuzha city and to the South of Cochin. National Highway 66, passes through Kalavoor. Trans ...

in the

Alappuzha Alappuzha or Alleppey () is the administrative headquarters of Alappuzha district in state of Kerala, India. The Backwaters of Alappuzha are one of the most popular tourist attractions in India which attracts millions of domestic and interna ...

district of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South Ca ...

, India. He performed villainous roles during the 1990s. He had acted in 158 films with directors such as K. G. George,

I. V. Sasi Irruppam Veedu Sasidaran (28 March 1947 – 24 October 2017), better known as I. V. Sasi, was an Indian film director who made over 110 films predominantly in Malayalam, in addition to Tamil and Hindi languages. In 2015, he was awarded the J. C ...

Joshiy Joshiy (born 18 July 1952) is an Indian film director and producer from Varkala in Kerala who works predominantly in the Malayalam film industry. He made his debut with ''Tiger Salim'' (1978) and has directed over 80 films. He has also direct ...

, P. G. Vishwambharan, Thampy Kannamthanam, Sreekumaran Thampi, Rajasenan,P.K.Joseph and Shaji Kailas. Unlike other villains of the time, Ratheesh captivated the Malayalam movie lovers with his charms and handsome looks.

Personal life

He was born to Puthenpurayil V. Rajagopalan and Padmavathi amma at Kalavoor,

. He had two sisters, Sherly and Laila. He had his education from Sree Narayana College, Kollam and S.N. College, Cherthala. He was married to Diana, who is the daughter of· Ex minister M.K. Hemachandran, on 11 September 1983. The couple have four children Parvathy, Padmaraj, Padma and Pranav. He died due 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 ma ...

at his home in

Coimbatore Coimbatore, also spelt as Koyamputhur (), sometimes shortened as Kovai (), is one of the major metropolitan cities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. Coimbat ...

on 23 December 2002, aged just 48.

Career

Ratheesh started his career in the Malayalam film ''

Vezhambal ''Vezhambal'' ( ml, വേഴാമ്പല്‍) is a 1977 Indian Malayalam film, directed by Stanley Jose. The film stars Vincent, M. G. Soman, Sridevi and Ratheesh in the lead roles. The film has musical score by M. K. Arjunan. Cast ...

'' in 1977. But it was K. G. George who provided his big break through ''

Ullkadal ''Oolkatal'' or ''Ulkadal'' () is a 1979 Malayalam-language musical-romantic drama film directed by K. G. George and starring Venu Nagavally and Sobha. The film, considered to be the first campus film in Malayalam, was adapted from the novel of ...

'' in 1979. He became a bankable star through I. V. Sasi's ''

Thusharam ''Thushaaram'' is a 1981 Indian Malayalam-language action film directed by I. V. Sasi, starring Ratheesh, Seema, Rani Padmini and Jose. Lyrics were written by Yusafali and the music score by Shyam. The film, originally was planned with actor Ja ...

'' in 1981. From 1981 to 1988 he was at the peak of his career, performing in films like ''

Oru Mukham Pala Mukham ''Oru Mukham Pala Mukham'' () is a 1983 Indian Malayalam-language action film directed by P. K. Joseph, starring Ratheesh, Srividya, Mohanlal, and Mammootty. Ratheesh plays Raveendran Thampi, who takes vengeance against Subhadramma Thankachi (Sr ...

'', '' Ee Nadu'', ''

Rajavinte Makan ''Rajavinte Makan'' () is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language gangster film directed and produced by Thampi Kannanthanam and written by Dennis Joseph. It stars Mohanlal as crime boss Vincent Gomes, and also features Suresh Gopi, Ratheesh, Ambika ...

'', '' Muhoortham 11.30'', '' Sankharsham'', '' Vazhiyorakazhchakal'', ''

Aayiram Kannukal ''Aayiram Kannukal'' () is a 1986 Indian Malayalam film, directed by Joshiy and produced by Rajan Prakash. The film stars Mammootty, Ratheesh, Shobhana, Jose Prakash and Rajalakshmi in lead roles. The film had musical score by Raghu Kumar. Th ...

'', ''

Abkari ''Abkari'' is a 1988 Malayalam movie starring Mammootty and Ratheesh in the title roles. It was written by T. Damodaran and was directed by I. V. Sasi. Plot Vasu and Chacko are working as drivers and low ranking workers for the ''Abkari'' co ...

'', '' Unaroo'', ''Ithraym Kaalam'', ''

Uyarangalil ''Uyarangalil'' () is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language thriller film directed by I. V. Sasi and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair. It stars Mohanlal, Nedumudi Venu, Rahman, Ratheesh, Kajal Kiran and Swapna, . The music for the film was provided b ...

'', ''Thanthram'', ''

Akkachiyude Kunjuvava ''Akkacheyude Kunjuvava'' is a 1985 Indian Malayalam film, directed by Sajan. The film stars Shobhana, Jose Prakash, Ratheesh and Lalu Alex in the lead roles. The film has musical score by Johnson. Cast *Ratheesh as Prasanthan *Shobhana *U ...

'', ''

John Jaffer Janardhanan ''John Jaffer Janardhanan'' is a 1982 Malayalam-language masala film directed by I. V. Sasi, written by T. Damodaran, starring Ratheesh, Ravindran and Mammootty. It is a remake of the 1977 Hindi film ''Amar Akbar Anthony''. Plot Three brothe ...

'', ''

Innalenkil Nale ''Innalenkil Nale'' () is a 1982 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by I. V. Sasi and produced by N. G. John. The film stars Mammootty, Ratheesh, Unnimary and Rajkumar. The film has musical score by Shyam. Cast *Mammootty as Rahim *See ...

'' and ''

Ponthooval ''Ponthooval'' is a 1983 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by J. Williams. The film's score was composed by Raghu Kumar. Cast *Ratheesh * Madhavi *Captain Raju * Bheeman Reghu * Kunchan Soundtrack The music was composed by Rag ...

''. After 1988 he reduced the number of films in which he acted, he quit altogether after 1990. After a period of four years he made a comeback as the

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, ri ...

through

Shaji Kailas Shaji Kailas (born 8 February 1965) is an Indian film director and screenwriter known for his works in Malayalam cinema. Shaji got a breakthrough with the comedy film ''Dr. Pasupathy'' (1990). He is best known for his action films with main ...

's ''

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

''. Throughout the 1990s, he did various villainous and character roles in films such as '' Kashmeeram'', '' Nirnayam'', ''

Yuvathurki ''Yuvathurki'' () is a 1996 Malayalam-language action film directed by Bhadran, produced by Amitabh Bachchan Corporation in association with Seven Arts. Suresh Gopi and Vijayashanti appear in the leading roles. Dr. Rajendra Babu was the dialog ...

'', ''

19 April Events Pre-1600 *AD 65 – The freedman Milichus betrays Piso's plot to kill the Emperor Nero and all the conspirators are arrested. * 531 – Battle of Callinicum: A Byzantine army under Belisarius is defeated by the Persians at ...

'', and ''

Gangothri Gangotri is a town and a ''Nagar Panchayat'' (municipality) in Uttarkashi district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is 99 km from Uttarkashi, the main district headquarter. It is a Hindu pilgrim town on the banks of the river Bhagirathi � ...

''. In the 2000s, he was notable for his roles in '' Ravanaprabhu'' and ''Danny''.

Filmography

As an actor

Malayalam

Tamil films

Produced films

* Iyer The Great * Chakkikotha Chankaran * Black Mail * Revenge * Ente Shabtham

Television

*2001: Venalmazha (Surya TV) opposite to sreevidhya *2001 : Anna (Kairali TV)

References

Ratheesh at MSI

Ratheesh
at Internet Movie Database {{authority control Male actors from Alappuzha 1954 births 2002 deaths Male actors in Malayalam cinema Indian male film actors People from Alappuzha district 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian male actors