Babu Antony

When Babu Antony (real name Bob Anthony) holds up his report card it looks to be a very impressive one and more than his 175 plus movies in 6 different languages, what stand out are his other attributes in the nonfilm and academic domains. Apart from a degree in English Literature and a Masters in HRM, he was also captaining the University Volleyball and Athletic teams, justifying all of his six ft. Plus height and 185 lbs build and teaching martial arts as well in college days. It was Bharatan, one of the successful directors of that time who got him into films in 1986, launching him with “Chilampu” on an impressive career with several hits and critically acclaimed films, including some that got recognition in international forums. Being basically from Kerala his prime focus has obviously been Malyalam films, and he has an impressive record to boot. Out of the 31 movies chosen to showcase 75 years of Malayalam movies, two of Babu’s movies (“Vaishali” and “Sayahnam”) were also chosen alongside so many other big names in the industry. Coincidentally both the films had a mythological basis, the former being based on the Mahabharata, while the latter is in the Old Testament. He has had several hits to his name and that too in several languages, including action movies like “Chanda”; “Hathya” etc. and multi-lingual versions like “Poovinu Puthiya Poonthennal” made in Hindi as well as 4 Southern languages. He had a brief respite from films in between, but soon made a comeback through the 2012 film “Grandmaster” featuring the famous Mohanlal as his co-star. However, in his own estimation it was “Aparahnam” which gave him maximum satisfaction. Here he portrays the role of a terrorist who is suffering from a dilemma about his purpose in life. Some of his later hits include the double version “Kanchana” in Tamil and Telugu, as well as “Ek Deewana Tha” in Hindi, amongst many others. And finally, he is also giving free rein to his versatility by taking up the direction of a Malayalam film entitled “Piano”.