Malayalam Awards Vanitha Film Awards 2018 - Cast & Crew

Seema is a veteran actress from India. She has acted in over 250 Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films. She entered the industry in the year 1971 and is going strong till date. She was born on May 22, 1957 in Choolaimedu, Chennai, India. Seema’s father is Madhavan Nambiar from Thalassery who works in the T.V.S Parcel Service in Madras. Her mother Vasanthy is from Ambalamedu, Thrippunithura. Madhavan divorced Vasanthy and left when Seema was only 7-years old, and then he got re-married. Seema studied at P.N Dhawan Adarsh Vidyalaya in Chennai. She was married to Malayalam film director, Irruppam Veedu Sasidran (I. V. Sasi) on August 28, 1980. They have two kids namely, Anu Milan and Ani. Anu became an actor and was featured in his father’s Malayalam film, Symphony. Indian actor, Vijayan gave her the name Seema while filming Nizhale Nee Sakshi and from then on she started using it as her screen name. She is also known as Shanthi.

Seema initiated her career through the Malayalam film, Achante Bharya in 1971. She played the role of a dancer followed by few more films where she acted as a dancer as well. She debuted in the film, Nizhale Nee Sakshi, however the film was shelved for some reasons. Later, it was completed and starred Malayalam actress, Vidhubala as a heroine.

When she was 19 years old, she played the main lead role in the Malayalam film, Avalude Ravukal in 1978 under the direction of I. V. Sasi. Then she continued her journey in acting. She took a hiatus after doing the Malayalam film, Mahayaanam. She came back in year 1998 as a Principal in the high-budgeted Malayalam film, Olympian Anthony Adam. Some of Seema’s films are Mannu, Aaarathi, Thadakom, Kalyana Agathigal, Sandhyakku Virinja Poovu, Ashrayam, Vartha, Gandhinagar 2nd Street and a lot more. She recently did Naadakame Ulakam, Manushyamrigam and Geethaanjali. Some of her Tamil films include Kaali, Enga ooru Kannagi, Baba, Bagavathi, Anbe Sivam, Kaalai, and Siddhu +2 and more.

Beside films, she also entered the television industry and became more popular for her character as Nachiyar in Thangam on Sun TV. She was also starred in popular serials like Ival Yamuna on Mazhavil Manorama, Ammakili on Asianet Channel, Muhurtham, Kairali’s Chillu, Ammavukku Randilu Raahu and Vamsam on Sun TV.

Because of her versatility and talent in acting, she received many awards in her career as an actress. In 1984, she won the Best Actress Award in Kerala State Film Awards for her performance in Aksharangal and Aalkuttathil Thaniye. In 1985, she got the Best Actress Award again for her performance in Anubandham in Kerala State Film Awards. Seema also received recognitions in Filmfare Awards such as, Best Actress Award for Aaroodam in 1983, Best Actress Award for Aksharangal and Aalkuttathil Thaniye in 1984, Best Actress Award for Anubandham in 1985 and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.

Didi Damodaran, a popular writer, published the book, Vishudha Shanthi, Seema’s biography of life in 2011.

Shweta Mohan is a female playback singer in Indian cinema who is also the daughter of playback singer Sujatha Mohan. Like her mother, she also had sung in various languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam. She was born on 19 November 1985 in Chennai.  In fact, earlier she was a bit hesitant to take up singing as her career. But as she sung, she enjoyed singing very much. Had not she been in singing, she could have opted for doing MBA and got settled other way. 

Aishwarya Lekshmi is an Indian actress who has worked in Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil movies. She has acted in many movies of these film industries. She is best known for her movies like ‘Rasukutty’, ‘Butterflies’, ‘Gardish’, ‘Aambala’ and many more. She has been a part of many Malyalam television series. She was born in Chennai as Shanta Meena Bhaskar. Her father K Bhaskaran was a Malayali and mother Lakshmi was a Tamil actress. She was interested in the film industry as she grew up watching her mother working hard in the industry and got inspired to become an actress. She debuted with the movie ‘Nyaayangal Jey Kattum’, a Tamil movie in 1990.

Anu Sithara is an Indian Film and Television Actress. She works in the Malayalam and Tamil Film Industries. Anu hails from Wayanad district in Kerala. Anu was born on the 21st of August in the year 1995. Her father’s name is Abdul Salam, and her mother’s name is Renuka Salam.

Nimisha Sajayan is an Indian Actress. She works in the Malayalam Film Industry. Nimisha was born on the 4th of January in the year 1997. She is from Mumbai, Maharashtra. Her father Mr. Sajayan is an engineer, and her mother is Mrs. Bindu. They're from Kerala but later migrated to Mumbai. She has an elder sister named Nithu. She had her schooling from Carmel Convent School in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Aparna Balamurali is an actress in Indian cinema who predominantly acts in Malayalam movies. Her debut film was ‘Oru Second Class Yathra’ (2015)where she played the character of Vineeth Sreenivasan's lover. She appeared as the pair of Vineeth in flashback scenes This film was directed by Jexon Antony and Rejis Antony. After this movie, she was associated with another Malayalam movie ‘Maheshinte Prathikaram’. The film was produced by filmmaker Aashiq Abu, who directed films like 'Daddy Cool' and 'Salt N Pepper' and Dileesh Pothan directed the movie. In the movie, she not only played the role of a college student as Jimsy Augustine but also lent her voice for one song ‘"Mounangal" along with Vijay Yesudas. This film placed her in the list of recognition as an actress.

Versatile and talented, Shanthi Krishna is an actress who is also one of India’s leading Bharatha Natyam dancers. She is most popular for her exceptional work in the Malayalam, Tamil and Kannada movie arena, having also won the prestigious Kerala State Film Award for best actress in 1994.

Manju Warrier is a South-Indian film actress, born on November 1, 1978, in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, to an accountant father and a homemaker mother. She completed her schooling from Chinmaya Vidyalaya and further from Chovva Higher Secondary School, both situated at Kannur. She graduated from SN College, Kannur. Manju was only seventeen when she made her debut in the film industry with ‘Sakshyam’, a classic Malayalam drama directed by Mohan.At the age of eighteen, she worked in ‘Sallapam’, a love story by Sundar Das. In the first three years of her career, she was awarded for her work in four major films. First is with the film ‘Ee Puzhayum Kadannu’, a drama thriller starring Dileep in the lead role, won her the Kerala State Film Award, Filmfare, and the Screen-Videocon Award.

Sooraj Venjaramoodu was born on 30th June, 1976 in Kerala. He is an Indian actor, television presenter, and comedian. He has acted in over 250 films. His father is a retired soldier and, his mother is a housewife. Sooraj began his career as a stand-up comedian. He was successful in this and was most famous for his mockery of the Thiruvananthapuram accent. At first, when he started his acting career, he was not well- accepted by the audience.

Asif Ali is a model –turned actor who was brought into the film by iconic director Shyamaprasad and Sathyan Anthikkad. Later on, he featured in some successful Malayalam movies and made his way to stardom. Though he was not a superstar, his image of a chocolate boy in a movie ‘Salt N Pepper' seems to be best suited to him as he is very cute and innocent-looking. But unfortunately, he was given to play scary characters that had gray and negative shades. 

Jayasurya is a versatile actor who hailed from Kerala. Born in Thrippunithura in 1978, this actor has done varieties of characters in Malayalam films. He has also acted in a few Tamil movies. His parents are Mani and Thankam. His wife is Sarita and this couple has a daughter and a son. Oomapenninu Uriyadapayyan is the debut movie of Jayasuriya. Swapna Koodu with Prithviraj, Meera Jasmine and Bhavana gave him a reputation. His movie Pulival Kalyanam also earned more fans for him. Kilukkam Kilukilukkam was the next version of Mohan Lal movie Kilukkam, and Jayasuriya’s performance was applauded well. Shakespeare M.A Malayalam and De Inkottu Nokkiyae, Bus Conductor, Arabikatha are some of his blockbuster movies. Sankaranum Mohananum was the film by Jayasurya, in which he appeared in 20 different getups. Cocktail was the film by him, which made his career a worthy one. Trivandrum Lodge, Husbands in Goa, Mumbai Police and Beautiful were some of his career best films. Husbands in Goa, is a comedy genre which had Lal, Praveena, Indrajith, Remya Nambeesan, Bhama and Rima Kallingal. His latest ventures are Amar Akbar Anthony, Aadu Oru Bheegara Jeeviyaanu and Lukka Chuppi. He made his debut in Tamil films through En Mana Vaanil with Kavya Madhavan. He also has acted with Kamal Hassan in Vasool Raja MBBS.

Hari Narayana is a film director by profession. He mainly directs South Indian movies in Tamil language. He has also worked as a lyricist in many Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam movies. Hari made his debut in the South Indian Film Industry as a director with the film Nandhuni in the year 2010. The movie was in Malayalam language. This movie was not a big hit and received mixed reviews from both the viewers and the critics as well.

Shaan Rahman is a widely recognized personality in the Indian film Industry due to his various talents. He is an Indian music composer, cinematographer, and singer who has worked extensively in the Malayalam film industry. He has given a lot of commendable works which are acclaimed by superiors till now. His notable credits include Malarvaadi Arts Club (2010), Thattathin Marayathu (2014), and Ormayundo Ee Mukham (2014). He was born on 30 December 1979, in Ras AL Kaima, UAE, to a well-do family. He was brought up in Thalassery, Kannur district, Kerala, by his parents. His father works in a Union Cement Company (UCC), and his mother is a full-time housewife. Also, he has a younger sister named Sherry, a doctor, and his brother, Shaheer is studying B.A. Visual Effects at ICAT.

Vijay Yesudas (Born: 23rd March, 1979) is an Indian classical musician and playback singer from Chennai. He is known for his work predominantly in the south Indian film Industry, especially Malayalam, and Tamil films as well as in other Indian Languages such as Telegu, Kannada, and Hindi.

Prasanna Sujit is one of the most talented choreographers working in the film industry. Born in a family of dancers, Prasanna is the youngest generation of dancer in his family. His famous family members include Brinda master, Kala Master and Raghu Master. Prasanna was a shy child growing up, he was an introvert. In fact he was such a low-key person that no one in his school knew that he dance in his bloodline, and he himself was such a gifted dancer. During school days, it was one of Sujit’s friends who suggested Prasanna to start competing in dance competitions.

Soubin Shahir is a well-known actor and an assistant director in Malayalam films. He assisted many renowned directors in his career before his acting career started. He made his first debut film with Kaiyethum Doorath. He earned wide fame for Alphonse Putharen’s Premam in which he played the role of a P.T Master. Soubin also featured in some of the recent hit movies stealing the hearts of many people. On his foray in direction, he said “I always wanted to be a director.” He believes that director Rajeev Rai brought him in front of arc lights. The actor is still uncomfortable when it comes to facing the camera and says that he becomes a bit nervous when it comes to acting.

Dileesh Nair is a south based film director and scriptwriter born on July 23, 1981, in Thodupuzha Kerala. Nair made his debut as a scriptwriter in the movie “Salt N’ Pepper” in 2011 along with Shyam Pushkaran. Since then, he has written scripts for other movies like ‘Da Thadiya’ and for his directorial debut ‘Tamaar Padaar’ in 2014, which unfortunately didn’t do well at the box office. He has appeared in cameo roles in ’22 Female Kottayam’ Da Thadiya, Idiots.

T Sivakumar is an indian actor and a visual artist who has played a vast range of roles, both leading and supporting, in the tamil cinema. His first appearance was in the movie kakkum karangal in 1965. Syam pushkaran is a scriptwriter well known for his work in malayalam cinema. He began his journey in the industry with salt n pepper co-written with dileesh nair.

Dileesh Pothan is a prominent Malayalam film actor-turned-director. He was born as Dileesh Philip on February 19, 1981, in Manjoor, District of Kottayam in Kerala, India. He studied at Emmanuel’s High School in Kothanalloor and later pursued a pre-degree at KE College in Mannanam. Later, he took Bachelor of Science at St. Philomena’s College in Mysore. He showed deep interest in cinema and drama, and so he decided to take a Master of Arts (MA) in Theatre Arts and attended the Sree Sankaracharya University of Kerala and a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Theatre Arts at the MG University in Kottayam. Initially, he has worked as an actor and associate director in several films including director Aashiq Babu’s Salt N’ Pepper (2011), 22 Female Kottayam (2012), Da Thadiya (2012), 5 Sundarikal (2013), Idukki Gold (2013), and Gangster (2014). Dileesh is also the associate director of Dileesh Nair’s Malayalam satirical comedy film,

Kunchacko Boban is a handsome young guy who got introduced as a hero in the Malayalam movie, Aniyatthipraavu, in the year 1997. His first movie was the most populous director Fazil, and the film is a super hit, with Shalini, alongside. Before his debut as a hero, he has acted in Dhanya, as a child artist. He is loved by all his female fans for his cute smile and tiny expressions that boost his beauty. This charming guy is the grandson of the popular film producer Kunchacko. His grandpa’s studio is the first studio in Kerala. Kunchacko Boban’s father is also a person who is related to the film industry through acting and production. Anu and Mini are his siblings. Kunchacko Boban is married to Priya Ann from the year 2005. After marriage, Kunchacko Boban had a break to cinemas and came back after three years. Kunchacko Boban had a cameo appearance in the movie of the big shots, Mamooty and Mohanlal in Harikrishnans. This film has a special feature, as it rejoined Mamooka and Lalettan after nine years. The film Law point gave him a good break and How Old Are You showed him as a selfish husband. Whatever roles are given to him, whether negative or positive, heroic or villainy, Kunchacko Boban did it well.Chirakodinja Kinavukal and Birds With Large Wings are his latest ventures.

Tovino Thomas is a well-known face in the Malayalam Film Industry. He is an eminent model and actor in Mollywood. He has a huge female fan following owing to his muscular physique and smart personality. He was voted as the most desirable man in the newspaper Kochi Times, a subset of the Times of India. He was born into a Roman Catholic family in Irinjalakuda, Kerala. His father, Ellikal Thomas, is an advocate, and he has an elder brother, Tingston, and a sister, Dhanya. Tovino studied in Irinjalakuda at the Don Bosco High School and then moved to Coimbatore to finish his college. He obtained his graduation degree in engineering, majoring in the field of electronics in Coimbatore from the Tamil Nadu College of Engineering. After finishing college, he started working as a software engineer at Cognizant Technology Solutions for a few years. Thomas is a fitness freak and has been modeling since his college days. He has also done endorsements for a few top brands of Kerala such as Silver storm Theme Park in Athirappilly, Indulekha Hair Care Oil, and a few others. He has also done a few short films among which his roles in Grisaille and Jaalakam were appreciated widely. Sajeevan Anthikad spotted him upon seeing these short movies and advertisements and cast him in his first movie Prabhuvinte Makkal in the year 2012.

Sarath Kumar, born on 28 December 1992, also known by his stage name Appani Sarath, is an Indian actor who works in Tamil and Malayalam movies. Sarath first earned notoriety for his portrayal of Appani Ravi in the Lijo Jose Pellissery-directed film Angamaly Diaries, which propelled him to stardom. Later, he appeared in the Lal Jose-directed film Velipadinte Pusthakam as Franklin, a character who appears in the well-known Jimikki Kammal song. In Pokkiri Simon and Sachin, he played significant parts. In addition, Sarath has appeared in a few Tamil films, including Sandakozhi 2 opposite Vishal, a follow-up to the 2005 film Sandakozhi, and a small part in the 2018 Mani Ratnam film Chekka Chivantha Vaanam. In the ZEE5 series, he portrayed the legendary serial killer and criminal Auto Shankar.

Vijayaraghavan is an Indian actor from Kerala, who mainly acted in Malayalam films. He is popular for his versatility playing different character and villain roles. He is the son of great Malayalam drama writer and director N. N. Pillai, who is known to many by his role Anjooran in the Malayalam movie Godfather.

Dulquer Salmaan is a popular Malayalam actor, who appears in Tamil films too. He is the son of the Malayalam Super Star Mammooty. Dulquer Salmaan is married to Amal Sufiya in the year 2011, before his film entry. Dulquer Salmaan has plans to act in Telugu films too, and discussions are going on. Dulquer wanted to make his debut through his friend’s film and hence rejected many opportunities. His debut was through the film Second Show by Srinath Rajendran in the year 2012. His second movie was Ustad hotel by Anwar Rasheed and the film was a hit. In the year 2013, he starred in ABCD American Born Confused Desi. This film revealed his singing talent too. Dulquer Salmaan sang a song Johnny Mone in this film ABCD. He entered the Tamil film industry through Vaayai Moodi Paesavum, a bilingual movie in Malayalam, Samsaaram Arogyathinu Haanikaram. It was a different movie and the movie has Nazriya and Madhu Bala with him. Bangalore Days was his next venture with lots of stars like Praveena, Nazriya, Nivin Pauly, Fahath Fazil, Parvathy Menon, Kalpana and Nithya Menon. It was a super hit movie and it is being remade in Tamil with Aarya in the lead. 100 Days of Love was another hit from Dulquer Salmaan, which got released in 2015. Popular director Mani Ratnam, molded Dulquer Salmaan in his tent with the film O Kadal Kanmani and the film was a super hit with the music by Rahman and performance by Prakashraj. Dulquer’s next film is Charlie, which is set to release on Onam.

Mahesh Narayanan is an Indian writer and film editor, popular amongst the regional audience for his work in movies like Take Off (2017), Traffic (2011), Vishwaroopam (2013), and Ennu Ninte Moideen (2015). Mostly known for his predominant involvement in Mollywood movies and Malayali TV shows, he has been working in the film industry for more than ten years now.

Born in 1982, Fahadh Faasil is known for his works in Malayalam cinema. He is the son of renowned Malayalam director Fazil. He debuted in the Malayalam film industry during the year 2002 in his father’s film Kaiyethum Doorath. Unfortunately, his status as star kid didn’t help him and the film bombed at the box office. He was 18-year old then and the audience didn’t accept the image of a chocolate boy with a mustache.

Bio coming soon...