Pratap K. Pothen

In this Indian name, 'Pothen' is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be addressed with the given name, 'Pratap'

Pratap K. Pothen
Born Trivandrum, Travancore, India
Occupation Actor, writer, film director, film producer, ad film maker
Years active 1979–1995
2005–present
Spouse(s) Raadhika (1985–1986; divorced)
Amala Satyanath (1990–2012; divorced)
Children Keya (b. 1991)
Awards National Awards and Filmfare Awards as an actor and a director

Pratap K. Pothen, popularly known as Pratap Pothen, is an Indian actor, director, writer, producer who has acted in about 100 films. He has acted in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu as well as Hindi films. His directional ventures were in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.[1]

Pratap has his Facebook fan page[2] through which he interacts with his fans, and the fan page also has pictures from his film days.

Early life and background

Pratap was born in Thiruvananthapuram. His father Kolathinkal Pothen was a well known business man of Thiruvananthapuram.[3] He has two brothers and two sisters.[4] He did his schooling at Lawrence School, Lovedale, in Ooty. He finished Schooling in 1968. His elder brother Hari Pothen was also a film producer was married to then famous actress Jayabharathi for a short while. His father died when he was 18. The youngest of five children, he grew up in a household where art, politics, entertainment and business co-existed, allowing him to experience a large cross-section of life from his ancestral home in Trivandrum in Kerala.

Pratap was married twice. His first marriage was with leading actress Raadhika in 1985 and subsequently they divorced in 1986. His second marriage was with Amala Satyanath in 1990, a senior corporate professional and they have a daughter Keya born in 1991. Later they got separated and divorced in 2012.[5]

College life

Pratap gained admission to Madras Christian College (MCC), Madras. Pratap[6] remained friends with those he went to school and MCC with. His friends helped him act in plays at college and his interest turned to acting from painting.

He left MCC with a B.A in economics in 1969. Pratap started to work as a copywriter in an ad agency in Mumbai. After a year, he joined Sistas ad agency. Later he worked for Hindustan Thomson.

During the late sixties and early seventies, armed with a boarding school education from Ooty and awakened by an amazing bohemian experience gained 'chasing the wind' during his college days at MCC in Madras, the young Prathap[7] went about shedding his shy schoolboy skin and embracing a culture of theatre and art.

Film career

Pratap acted with The Madras Players.[8] The late director Bharathan enjoyed Pratap's performance in Shaw's play Androcles and the Lion, and invited him to act in his Malayalam film Aaravam. Pratap acted in critically acclaimed films like 'Thakara' and 'Chamaram'. Chamaram dealt with the tumultuous affair between a student and his college lecturer.

Films like Nenjathai Killathe, Panneer Pushpangal, Moodupani and Varumayin Niram Sivappu made Pratap famous in Tamil also..

After a few years break from Malayalam movies Pratap made his comeback in 2012 by acting in 22 Female Kottayam in a negative role. The film made him more popular in Mollywood. It was the comeback of Pratap Pothen and he acted in several more movies including the super hit Ayallum Njanum Thammil, 3 dots, Idukki Gold, Arikkil Oraal.

Film director

Pratap directed three films in Malayalam:

He also directed a Telugu film – Chaithanya. Seevalapperi Pandi, Jeeva, Lucky Man and Vetrivizha are some of the popular films he directed in Tamil.

In 2006, Pratap Pothan announced that he would direct Madhavan in a script written by K. Rajeswar. Pre-production works proved to be difficult and the film went through several changes of title and lead actress, before it was announced that the film would be called Oru Naal Podhuma and would feature Rukmini Vijayakumar in the leading female role. The team had made plans to complete shooting for the film in Canada, though creative differences meant that the film was subsequently shelved.[9][10]

Recent projects

In the last few years he was busy with his ad agency named Green Apple' and focused on commercials for MRF Tyres and Nippo. He used to host Naalaya Iyakkunar in Kalaignar TV. Now Pratap Pothen is active as an actor.

Awards

His first National Film Award was the Indira Gandhi Award for Best First Film of a Director for the film Meendum Oru Kaathal Kathai.

Personal life

Pratap K. Pothen has been married twice. His first marriage was with leading actress Raadhika in 1985, however they got divorced in 1986. His second marriage was with Amala Satyanath in 1990 and the couple has a daughter, Keya, born in 1991. Later the couple got divorced in 2012.

Filmography

As actor

Year Film Role Language Notes
1979 Azhiyadha Kolangal Tamil
1980 Aaravam Kokkarakko Malayalam
1980 Thakara Thakara Malayalam Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Malayalam
1980 Lorry Dasappan Malayalam
1980 Pappu Pappu Malayalam
1980 Ormakale Vida Tharoo Malayalam
1980 Arohanam Malayalam
1980 Manju Moodal Manju Malayalam
1980 Thaliritta Kinakkal Malayalam
1980 Chamaram Vinod Malayalam Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Malayalam
1980 Chandra Bimbam Gopi Malayalam
1980 Varumayin Niram Sivappu Tamil
1980 Moodu Pani Chandru Tamil
1980 Ilamai Kolam Tamil
1981 Kariyallam Shenbaga Poo Tamil
1981 Aakali Rajyam Telugu
1981 Kudumbam Oru Kadambam Kannan Tamil
1981 Panneer Pushpangal Tamil
1981 Aparna Malayalam
1981 Thillu Mullu Tamil
1982 Sindoora Sandhyakku Mounam Anil-Raju Malayalam
1982 Olangal Malayalam
1982 Idavela Malayalam
1982 Eera Vizhi Kaaviyangal Tamil
1982 Priyasakhi Radha Malayalam
1982 Premabhishekam Pratap Malayalam
1982 Vazhvey Maayam Tamil
1982 Novemberinte Nashtam Das Malayalam
1983 America America Baby Malayalam
1983 Kaikeyi Malayalam
1984 Justice Chakravarthi Telugu
1984 Akshrangal Malayalam
1984 Meendum Oru Kaathal Kathai Tamil Director
1985 Sindhu Bhairavi Sanjeevi Tamil
1986 Onnu Muthal Poojyam Vare Josekutty Malayalam
1987 Jallikattu Tamil Guest appearance
1987 Nirabhedangal Jayadevan Malayalam
1988 Daisy Malayalam Director
1988 En Jeevan Paduthu Tamil
1988 Pushpak Tamil
1989 Vetri Vizha Tamil Director
1990 My Dear Marthandan Tamil Director
1991 Chaitanya Telugu Director
1992 Amaran Raja Varma Tamil
1993 Atma Tamil Director
1994 Seevalaperi Pandi Tamil Director
1995 Lucky Man Vicky Tamil Director
1997 Thedinen vanthathu Vicky Tamil Director
2005 Priyasakhi Priya's father Tamil
2005 Ram Psychiatrist Tamil
2005 Thanmathra Doctor Malayalam
2006 Chukkallo Chandrudu Telugu
2007 Guru K R Menon I.A.S. Hindi
2008 Velli Thirai Tamil
2009 Calendar Malayalam
2009 Padikathavan Ramakrishnan Tamil
2009 Sarvam Psychiatrist Tamil Cameo role
2010 Aayirathil Oruvan Chandramouli Tamil
2010 Veerasekaran Tamil
2010 Maro Charitra Telugu
2010 Pulliman Malayalam
2011 Muran Tamil
2012 22 Female Kottayam Hegde Malayalam SIIMA Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role
2012 Ayalum Njanum Thammil Dr.Samuel Malayalam Nominated—SIIMA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
2012 Suzhal Matthews Tamil
2013 Alex Pandian Radhakrishnan Tamil
2013 3 Dots Padmakumar/Pappettan Malayalam
2013 Aaru Sundarimaarude Katha Alex Paul Malayalam
2013 Up & Down - Mukalil Oralundu Edathil Govindan Nair Malayalam
2013 Arikil Oraal Sudhir Bose Malayalam
2013 Idukki Gold Micheal Malayalam
2014 London Bridge C S Nambiar Malayalam
2014 Bangalore Days Francis Malayalam
2014 Alice: A True StoryDr. SivapanchanathanMalayalam
2014 Munnariyippu KK Malayalam
2014 Poojai Divya's Father Tamil
2014 Vegam BennyMalayalam
2015 Mariyam MukkuFather GabrielMalayalam
2015 Appavum VeenjumFernandezMalayalam
2015 KanalRaghuMalayalam

As director

Year Film Language Cast Writer Notes
1985 Meendum Oru Kaathal Kathai Tamil Raadhika, Prathap K. Pothan Indira Gandhi Award for Best First Film of a Director
1987 Hruthubhedam Malayalam Thilakan, Vineeth Filmfare Award for Best Director – Malayalam
1988 Jeeva Tamil Sathyaraj, Amala, Captain Raju
1988 Daisy Malayalam Harish, Sonia, Lakshmi, Kamal Hassan himself
1989 Vetri Vizha Tamil Kamal Hassan, Prabhu, Amala, Sasikala, Kushboo K. Rajeswar, Shanmugapriyan
1990 My Dear Marthandan Tamil Prabhu, Kushboo G. M. Kumar
1991 Chaithanya Telugu Nagarjuna, Gouthami, Raghuvaran himself
1992 Magudam Tamil Sathyaraj, Bhanupriya, Gouthami Shanmugapriyan
1993 Athma Tamil Ramki, Rahman, Gouthami Shanmugapriyan
1994 Seevalaperi Pandi Tamil Napoleon, Saranya K. Rajeswar
1995 Lucky Man Tamil Karthik, Sanghavi, Goundamani, Senthil S. V. Krishna Reddy
1995 Oru Yathramozhi Malayalam Sivaji Ganesan, Mohanlal, Ranjitha Priyadarshan

As writer

Television

References

External links

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