K.P.A.C. Lalitha

Maheshwari Amma, better known by her stage name K. P. A. C. Lalitha (10 March 1947 – 22 February 2022), was an Indian film and stage actress who worked primarily in the Malayalam film industry. Considered one of the greatest actresses in the history of Indian Cinema, she started her acting career with Kerala People's Arts Club, a theatre collective in Kayamkulam, Kerala. In a career spanning five decades, she starred in over 550 films.

Lalitha has won two National Film Awards for Best Supporting Actress along with four Kerala State Film Awards. In 2009, she was honoured with the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2009 Filmfare Awards South. Lalitha latterly served as the chairperson of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi. She was married to the late Malayalam filmmaker Bharathan.

Early life

Lalitha was born as Maheshwari Amma at Aranmula, in present day Pathanamthitta District, on 10 March 1947. as the eldest among five children; her four siblings were Indira, Babu, Rajan and Shyamala. She is the child born five years after her parents' marriage. Her father was a photographer who was from Kayamkulam and mother was a housewife who was from Aranmula. She spent most of her childhood at Ramapuram near Kayamkulam.

Her family migrated to Changanassery, Kottayam for her to join dance class. In a young age itself she had very much interest in dance. She learned to dance when she was a child under the guidance of Chellappan Pillai and then under Kalamandalam Gangadharan. She started acting in plays when she was 10 years old. Her first appearance on stage was in the play Geethayude Bali. She later joined Kerala People's Arts Club (K. P. A. C.), which was a prominent leftist drama troupe in Kerala. She was given the stage name Lalitha and later, when she started acting in movies, the tag K.P.A.C. was added to her screen-name to differentiate it from another actress known as Lalitha.

Acting career

Her first movie was the film adaptation of Koottukudumbam directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan. In 1978 she married Bharathan, a noted Malayalam film director. She took a break from film acting for sometime, doing only a few films.

In 1998, when her husband Bharathan died, she took a break for a few months, only to come back with an acclaimed performance in Sathyan Anthikkad directed Veendum Chila Veetukaryangal (1999). K.P.A.C. Lalitha's notable roles after that were in Shantham (2000), Life Is Beautiful (2000) and Valkannadi (2002). She won her second National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Shantham (2000), directed by Jayaraj.

Personal life and death

Lalitha had a daughter Sreekutty and a son Sidharth who debuted as an actor in the movie Nammal, which was directed by Kamal. After a short career in acting, he chose a career in film direction. In 2012, he made his directorial debut with Nidra, which is the remake of 1984 film with the same title written and directed by his father Bharathan. She was a member and supporter of Communist Party of India (Marxist).

She published an autobiography, titled Katha Thudarum (Story To Be Continued), which won the Cherukad Award in 2013.

Lalitha died in Thrippunithura on 22 February 2022, at the age of 74. She had been hospitalised since November 2021 due to multiple health issues, including liver ailment and diabetes. Her mortal remains were taken to her home in Wadakkancherry, and she was cremated with full state honours.

Filmography

Awards

National Film Awards 1990: Best Supporting Actress – Amaram 2000: Best Supporting Actress – Shantham

Kerala State Film Awards 1975: Second Best Actress – Neela Ponman, Onnum Lelle (1975) 1978: Second Best Actress – Aaravam 1990: Second Best Actress – Amaram 1991: Second Best Actress – Kadinjool Kalyanam, Godfather, Sandesam

Asianet Film Awards 2000: Best Supporting Actress – Shantham 2007: Best Supporting Actress – Thaniye, Nasrani, Aakasham 2011: Best Supporting Actress – Snehaveedu

Filmfare Awards South 2009: Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award

Other awards 2007: Premji Award 2009: Thoppil Bhasi Prathibha Award 2009: Annual Malayalam Movie Award (Dubai) for Best Outstanding Performances 2010: Bharat Murali Award 2011: Bahadoor Award 2011: Kambisseri Karunakaran Award 2012: Thoppil Bhasi Prathibha Award 2013: MT Chandrasenan Award 2013: Cherukad Award for Literature for Autobiography "Katha Thudarum" (Writer) 2014: Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship 2014: Sangam Lifetime Achievement Award 2014:Vanithalokam Award 2015: Part-Ono Films- Samaadharanam-'Prashasthipathram' 2015: SIIMA Lifetime Achievement Award 2015: Vanitha Film Award – Lifetime Achievement 2015:TCR Bharath P.J.Antony Smaraka Abhinaya Prathibha Award 2015:IIFA Awards IIFA Utsavam – Performance in a Supporting Role (Female) – Nominated 2016: Parabrahma Chaithanya Award PK Rosy Award Devarajan Master Award Good Knight Film and Business Awards 2017