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Death/Obituary A theatre artist before he forayed into movies, Poojappura Ravi has acted in more than 100 films.Veteran Malayalam actor Poojapprura Ravi, who has acted in more than hundred films, died at Marayur in Idukki at the age of 86. He passed away at the residence of his daughter Lakshmi. A theatre artist before he forayed into movies, his original name is Raveendran Nair. Poojappura is his home town in Thiruvananthapuram. Ravi made his presence known in the movie world with his husky voice and spontaneous acting. He belonged to the group of actors like Mala Aravindan, Alumoodan, and others, who defined the comedy scenes in Malayalam movies of a bygone era. His well-known films include Mutharamkunnu Po, Poochaykkoru Mukkuthi, Love in Signapore, Mazha Peyyunnu Maddalam Kottunnu, Rowdy Ramu, and Kadathanadan Ambadi. His last movie was the Rohini-Tovino starrer Gappi in 2016. Ravi was a favourite of director Priyadarsan who cast...

Flix FlashbackWith elections nearing, we revisit Sathyan Anthikad's 1991 comedy about a home that's split over politics, way before family WhatsApp groups did it.Sowmya RajendranScreenshot/YouTubeDiscussing politics is a favourite activity with Malayalis. From tea shops to educational institutions, office spaces and the drawing room, political debate is a way of life in the state. And with Assembly elections just weeks away in Kerala, now is as good a time as any to revisit Sandesham, Sathyan Anthikad's 1991 comedy about a home that's split over politics, way before family WhatsApp groups entered the scene and accomplished it. The film is centered on Raghavan Nair (Thilakan) and his five children — three boys and two girls. While the two sisters (Kpac Lalitha and Maathu), the youngest brother Prashanthan (Rahul Laxman) and mother Bhanu (Kaviyoor Ponnamma) add to the plot, the story is mostly about the neverending quarrel between the two older brothers...

ObituaryHe had directed more than 15 films, setting in a certain trend of blending humour with romance.Tnm StaffFilmmaker Kk Haridas, known for making comedies, passed away at a hospital in Kochi on Sunday. He had directed more than 15 films, most of them coming out in the latter half of the nineties. Haridas, had, for years, worked as an assistant and later an associate, before turning a director with the 1994 film Vadu Doctoranu (The bride is a doctor). That was also the comeback film of actor Nadhiya Moidu, after a small gap. The movie has Jayaram in the lead, playing a husband who is terribly disappointed at his wife being a veterinary doctor, and not the physician he thought her to be. Comedies featuring younger actors such as Vijayakumar and Dileep followed – films like Kokkarakko, which is about a few young men stealing chicken, and Kakkakum Poochakkum Kalyanam in which Dileep...