Maliampurackal Chacko Kunchacko (19 February 1912 – 15 June 1976) was an Indian film producer and director who worked in the

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

. His venture

Udaya Studios Udaya Studios is one of the oldest film studios in the Malayalam film industry of India. It was established in 1947 by director-producer Kunchacko (1912–1976) and film distributor K. V. Koshy in Pathirappally, Alappuzha in Kerala. The stud ...

influenced the gradual shift of Malayalam film industry from its original base of

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...

. He is the producer of '' Jeevithanauka'' (1951), starring

Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair (16 October 191611 March 1997) was an Indian poet, playwright, script writer, lyricist, orator, film director and actor, though he is best known as an actor in Malayalam cinema. He is the recipient of Padma Shri fr ...

Career

In 1947, he established

Udaya Studio Udaya Studios is one of the oldest film studios in the Malayalam film industry of India. It was established in 1947 by director-producer Kunchacko (1912–1976) and film distributor K. V. Koshy in Pathirappally, Alappuzha in Kerala. The studio ...

in Pathirappally,

Alappuzha Alappuzha (, आलप्पुळ) or Alleppey is a municipality and town on the Laccadive Sea in the southern Indian state of Kerala. It is the district headquarters of the district, and is located about north of the state capital Thiruvana ...

. In his early days, Kunchacko produced films under the banner of ''K & K Productions'', with the partnership of K. V. Koshy. The company produced 4 films: ''Vellinakshatram'', ''Nalla Thanka'', '' Jeevithanauka'' and ''Visappinte Vili''. ''Jeevithanauka'' (1951), starring

ran for 250 days. During the making of the film ''Achchan'', Kunchacko and Koshy parted ways and each started film-making under separate banners: Kunchacko under Udaya and Koshi under Filmco.weblokam.com
Profile
Kunchacko went on to produce ''Achchan, Avan Varunnu'' and '' Kidappadam'' under the banner of Udaya. '' Kidappadam'' was a commercial failure, and that caused Kunchacko to close down Udaya Studio. However, Udaya was opened within a few years with the help of his friend and Kerala state minister T. V. Thomas. In 1960, Kunchacko tried his hand in

film direction A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that vision. The director has a key role in ch ...

with ''Umma'', which he followed with ''Neeli Saali'' and ''Seetha''. He went on to direct 40 films in his career of many genres including

purana Puranas (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
(1995 Editio ...

stories, ''vadakkan pattu'' stories, comedy films and social themed films. Some of his films are ''Bharya, Unniyarcha, Palattukoman, Sakunthala, Pazhassiraja, Mainatheruvi Kolacase, Ponnapuram Kotta, Anarkali'' and ''Kannappanunni''. His career in film direction went along with his career as film producer. He produced films directed by various directors such as M. Krishnan Nair (''Agni Mrigam, Thara, Kattuthulasi''),

A. Vincent Aloysius Vincent (14 June 1928 – 25 February 2015) was an Indian cinematographer and director known for his works in Malayalam, Tamil language, Tamil, Telugu language, Telugu and Hindi language, Hindi language films. From the mid-1960s on, he ...

(''Gandharva Kshethram''),

Thoppil Bhasi Thoppil Bhaskara Pillai, known as Thoppil Bhasi (8 April 1924 – 8 December 1992) was an Indian Malayalam-language playwright, screenwriter, and film director. He was associated with the communist movement in Kerala and his play ''Ningalenne C ...

(''

Oru Sundariyude Katha ''Oru Sundariyude Katha'' is a 1972 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Thoppil Bhasi and produced by M. Kunchacko. The film stars Prem Nazir, Jayabharathi, KPAC Lalitha and Adoor Bhasi. The film has musical score by G. Devarajan. This wa ...

, Ningalenne Communistakki''), K.S. Sethumadhavan (Koottukudumbam) and K. Raghunath (''Laura Neeyevide'').In 1976, Kunchacko died in

with musician K. Raghavan for the song recording of the film ''Mallanum Mathevanum''. ''Kannappanunni'' was the last film directed by him. His death occurred on the fifth death anniversary (15 June) of the veteran Malayalam actor Sathyan, who acted in many of his films. Kunchako's

faced heavy losses later, and stopped production.

Family

Kunchacko was born in a

Syro Malabar Catholic The Syro-Malabar Church, also known as the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic church based in Kerala, India. It is a ''sui iuris'' (autonomous) particular church in full communion with the Holy See and the worldwide Catholi ...

family in

, Kerala. He hails from the Maliampurakal family. His father, M. M. Chacko, started the first boat service in Kuttanadu. His brother M. C. Punnoose, known as

Navodaya Appachan Maliampurackal Chacko Punnoose, known as Navodaya Appachan (6 February 1924 – 23 April 2012) was an Indian film producer, director and entrepreneur. He was best known for his work in Malayalam cinema, especially as the founder of Navoday ...

was known for his work 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 ...

, especially as the founder of

Navodaya Studio Navodaya Studio is an Indian film studio headquartered at Kochi, Kerala. It is one of the earliest film studios in Kerala, established in 1976 by Navodaya Appachan. Navodaya is known for producing some of the landmark films in Indian cinema. His ...

. His son, Boban Kunchacko, was also an actor, director, and producer who was part of a few films produced by Udaya. His grandson,

Kunchacko Boban Kunchacko Boban (born 2 November 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer who works in the Malayalam film industry. He is referred to as Chackochan, and during the early 2000s, he was called "chocolate boy" because of his romantic image. He ...

is also a Malayalam film actor. ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...

'', 10 July 2004.

Filmography

Direction

*'' Kannappanunni'' (1977) *'' Chennai Valarthiya Kutty'' (1976) *'' Mailanum Mathevanum'' (1976) *'' Cheenavala'' (1975) *''

Dharmakshetre Kurukshetre ''Dharmakshetre Kurukshetre'' is a 1975 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed and produced by Kunchacko. The film stars Prem Nazir, Jayabharathi, Adoor Bhasi and Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair. The film has musical score by M. S. Viswanathan ...

'' (1975) *'' Manishada'' (1975) *'' Neela Ponman'' (1975) *''

Durga Durga (, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around combating evils and demonic ...

'' (1974) *'' Thumbolarcha'' (1974) *'' Pavangal Pennungal'' (1973) *'' Ponnapuram Kotta'' (1973) *'' Thenaruvi'' (1973) *''

Aromalunni ''Aromalunni'' ആരോമലുണ്ണി is a 1972 Indian Malayalam-language film directed and produced by Kunchacko, based on '' Vadakkan Pattukal'', a collection of Northern Ballads of medieval origin. The film stars Prem Nazir, Vijaya ...

'' (1972) *''

Postmane Kananilla ''Postmane Kananilla'' is a 1972 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Kunchacko. The film stars Prem Nazir, K. P. Ummer, Vijayasree and KPAC Lalitha. The film's score was composed by G. Devarajan. Cast *Prem Nazir * Krishnapillai * K ...

'' (1972) *'' Panchavan Kadu'' (1971) *'' Dattuputhran'' (1970) *''

Othenente Makan ''Othenente Makan'' () is a 1970 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film directed and produced by Kunchacko. It is a sequel to the 1964 film '' Thacholi Othenan'', followed by '' Kadathanadan Ambadi'' (1990). The film stars Prem Nazir, Ragin ...

'' (1970) *''

Pearl View ''Pearl View'' is a 1970 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by Kunchacko. The film stars Prem Nazir, Sharada, Adoor Bhasi and Manavalan Joseph. It was released on 18 December 1970. Plot The story pivots around two Christian families se ...

'' (1970) *''

Susie Susie is a female name that can be a diminutive form of Susan, Susanne, Suzanne, Susannah, Susanna or Susana. Susie may refer to: Songs *"Susie", a song by Krokus from '' Painkiller'' *"Susie", a song by John Lee Hooker from the album '' ...

'' (1969) *'' Kodungalluramma'' (1968) *'' Punnapra Vyalar'' (1968) *'' Thirichadi'' (1968) *'' Kasavuthattam'' (1967) *'' Mainatharuvi Kola Case'' (1967) *''

Anarkali Anarkali () is a legendary lady said to be loved by the 16th-century Mughal Prince Salim, who later became Emperor Jahangir. According to some accounts, Anarkali was the nickname of the courtesan ( tawaif) Sharf-un-Nisa, though scholars hold ...

'' (1966) *''Jail'' (1966) *''

Tilottama Tilottama (), is an apsara (celestial nymph) described in Hindu mythology. "Tila" is a Sanskrit word for a small particle and "uttama" means the ultimate. Tilottama, therefore, means the being whose smallest particle is the finest or one who is ...

'' (1966) *'' Inapravugal'' (1965) *''

Shakuntala Shakuntala () is a heroine in ancient Indian literature, best known for her portrayal in the ancient Sanskrit play '' Abhijnanashakuntalam'' (The Recognition of Shakuntala), written by the classical poet Kalidasa in the 4th or 5th century AD ...

'' (1965) *'' Ayesha'' (1964) *''

Pazhassi Raja Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja () (3 January 1753 – 30 November 1805), also known as Cotiote Rajah and Pychy Rajah, was the '' de facto'' head of the Kottayam Kingdom in the Malabar region of Kerala between 1774 and 1805. His struggles with the ...

'' (1964) *'' Kadalamma'' (1963) *''

Rebecca Rebecca () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical tradition, Rebecca's father was Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram, also called Aram-Naharaim. Rebecca's brother was Laban (Bi ...

'' (1963) *'' Bharya'' (1962) *'' Palattukoman'' (1962) *''Krishna Kuchela'' (1961/I) *''Unniyarcha'' (1961) *'' Neeli Sally'' (1960) *'' Seeta'' (1960) *''

Umma Umma () in modern Dhi Qar Province in Iraq, was an ancient city in Sumer. There is some scholarly debate about the Sumerian and Akkadian names for this site. Traditionally, Umma was identified with Tell Jokha. More recently it has been sugges ...

'' (1960)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kunchacko Malayalam film directors 1976 deaths 1912 births Kerala State Film Award winners Malayalam film producers Film directors from Alappuzha district 20th-century Indian people Film producers from Kerala Indian Christians Indian Catholics