Pratap Pothen

His father was a well to do Businessman named Kolathinkal Pothan. His father died when he was 15 years old. He also had an elder brother whose name was Hari Pothan (d. 1995) who has produced many movies.

Prathap was put in a boarding school named Lawrence School, Lovedale[1] in Ooty at the age of 5. Initially he was interested in Painting. However, once he joined college, he started acting in plays with the help of his friends and gradually he was more interested in acting than painting. After his graduation from the Madras Christian College,[2] Prathap worked in a Mumbai ad agency as a copywriter, later he also worked at Sistas Ad Agency and 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 went about shedding his shy schoolboy skin and embracing a culture of theatre and art.[3]

Prathap married actress Raadhika in 1985. However, their marriage did not last long and they separated in 1986. He then remarried Amala Sathyanath in 1990 who was a Senior Corporate Professional. The couple have a daughter Keya born in 1991. Their marriage too ended after 22 years, in 2012.[4]

Pratap acted with The Madras Players. 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 (1978). He has acted in many movies along with the top heroines. His family has a huge estate in Kerala and is very famous. He belongs to the elite Madras Players and has staged shows there.

Pratap made three more films with Thakara (1979), Lorry (1980) and Chamaram (1980). These are milestones in Malayalam film history.

Films like Moodupani (1980), Varumayin Niram Sivappu (1980), Nenjathai Killathe (1980), Panneer Pushpangal (1981) made Pratap famous in Tamil also. In fact, he got more chances in Tamil. His most memorable role was probably in Varumayin Niram Sivappu, directed by K. Balachander.

Pratap began to direct films. His first film Meendum Oru Kaathal Kathai (1985) - a story of a mentally unwell couple - won the national award. His subtlety as an actor and a director has been his forte. In an era when loud acting and innovations were not in vogue, Prathap teamed up with Kamal Haasan in Vettri Vizhaa (1989). It was the first time that steady cam was used in a Tamil film.

Pratap directed three films in Malayalam - Rithubhedam (1987), Daisy (1988), which sent a romantic wave throughout Kerala, and Oru Yathramozhi (1997), which presented a son in search of his unknown father. He also directed a Telugu film Chaitanya (1991).

In Tamil, he has made super hits like Jeeva (1988), Vettri Vizhaa (1989), Seevalaperi Pandi (1994) and Lucky Man (1995).[5]

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.[6][7]

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 on Kalaignar TV.[8]

• Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Malayalam - Thakara (1979)
• Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Malayalam - Chamaram (1980)
• Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director - Meendum Oru Kaathal Kathai (1985)
• Filmfare Award for Best Director – Malayalam - Rithubhedam (1987)
• SIIMA Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role - 22 Female Kottayam (2012)
• Kerala State Film Award – Special Jury Award - (2014)

• Pratap Pothen at IMDb
• Prathap Pothen at MSI