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 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. Appachan was born to M. M. Chacko son of Mani of the Maliampurackal family at Pulinkunnoo and was an alumnus of St. Xavier's College,

Palayamkottai Palayamkottai (also Palayankottai) is a neighbourhood in Tirunelveli, Tirunelveli City, incorporated within the Tirunelveli Municipal Corporation, Tirunelveli City Municipal Corporation. It is situated on the east bank of the Thamirabarani rive ...

. Movies he produced include ''

Manjil Virinja Pookkal ''Manjil Virinja Pookkal'' () is a 1980 Indian Malayalam-language romantic thriller film produced by Navodaya Appachan under Navodaya Studio and written and directed by Fazil (director), Fazil. It stars Shankar (actor), Shankar, Mohanlal and P ...

'' and ''

My Dear Kuttichathan ''My Dear Kuttichathan'' () is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language children's fantasy film directed by Jijo Punnoose and produced by his father Navodaya Appachan under Navodaya Studio. It was the first Indian film to be filmed in 3D format. Wi ...

''. The latter was the first

3D movie 3D films are motion pictures made to give an illusion of three-dimensional solidity, usually with the help of special glasses worn by viewers. 3D films were prominently featured in the 1950s in American cinema and later experienced a worldwide re ...

made in India and released as ''Chota Chetan'' in Hindi. He is the founder of Navodaya Studio. He created '' Bible Ki Kahaniyan'' on

Doordarshan Doordarshan (), abbreviated as DD, is India's State-owned enterprise, state-owned public broadcasting, public television broadcaster. Established by the Government of India on 15 September 1959, it is owned by the Ministry of Information and B ...

. He first became involved in the film industry with his brother

Kunchacko Maliampurackal Chacko Kunchacko (19 February 1912 – 15 June 1976) was an Indian film producer and director who worked in the Malayalam film industry. His venture Udaya Studios influenced the gradual shift of Malayalam film industry from it ...

, at Udaya Studio. The first

Cinemascope CinemaScope is an anamorphic format, anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its cr ...

film in

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

was directed by him, and the Malayalam '' Padayottam'', which was the first indigenously shot

70mm 70 mm film (or 65 mm film) is a wide high-resolution film gauge for motion picture photography, with a negative area nearly 3.5 times as large as the standard 35 mm motion picture film format. As used in cameras, the film is wid ...

movie in South India, was produced by him. He founded

Kishkinta Kishkinta was a theme park located in Chennai, India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries ...

, India's first

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

, in

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

. He was given the 2011 J. C. Daniel Award for contributions to Malayalam cinema.

Death

Appachan died of cancer aged 88 on 23 April 2012 at Lakeshore Hospital 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 ...

Filmography

Awards

*He won Filmfare Award for Best Film - Malayalam - '' Chamaram'' (1980)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Appachan, Navodaya 1930s births 2012 deaths J. C. Daniel Award winners Kerala State Film Award winners Producers who won the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment National Film Award Film producers from Kerala Malayalam film producers Malayalam film directors Film directors from Alappuzha district 20th-century Indian people 20th-century Indian businesspeople People from Alappuzha district Filmmaking pioneers Odia film directors Deaths from cancer in India Indian Christians Indian Catholics