Condolences poured in from all quarters following actor Pratap Pothen’s death on Friday, July 15. While fans and members from the film fraternity mourned his loss, many took to social media to revisit his notable movies as an actor, director and writer. Pratap started his acting journey with The Madras Players, the oldest English theatre collective in Chennai. Popular Malayalam director Bharathan, who enjoyed his performance in the play Androcles and the Lion, invited him to act in his film, Aaravam (1978).
Pratap acted in over a hundred films, primarily in Malayalam and Tamil. He also appeared in several Telugu and Hindi movies. We bring to you a list of the actor’s memorable performances, ranging from the romantic hero in the initial stages of his career to compelling roles later as the antagonist.
Pratap played the titular role as Thakara, a youth with mental health issues, in this movie. Thakara is seen as a naive character in the initial parts of the film but once he is brainwashed into having a relationship with Subhashini (Surekha), the daughter of village ruffian Mathu Mooppan (KG Menon), he hits roadblocks. He turns into a character with shades of grey when he goes to great lengths to marry Subhashini. Helmed by filmmaker Bharathan and written by Padmarajan, the film opened to positive reception and was remade in Tamil as Aavarampoo in 1992.
Once again starring in the lead role in a Bharathan directorial, Pratap appeared as Vinod, a college student head over heels in love with his teacher. The couple continue their relationship despite judgment from society. The film was considered to be one-of-its kind at the time of its release since it questioned societal taboos that were not commonly discussed in films at that time. Chamaram is also one of the most memorable college dramas in Malayalam cinema. The film co-starred actors Nedumudi Venu, Zarina Wahab and Ratheesh in pivotal roles.
The film revolves around Tessa (Rima Kallingal), young nurse who is betrayed by her boyfriend Cyril (Fahadh Faasil) and sexually assaulted by his friend Hegde (Pratap) in this Aashiq Abu directorial. Pratap bagged the SIIMA award for Best Actor in a negative role in Malayalam for his role.
In this 2012 Lal Jose directorial, Pratap appeared as Dr Samuel, a physician who runs a hospital in Munnar. Featuring Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead, the film revolves around the lives of a sincere senior doctor and his relatively irresponsible junior. Written by popular screenwriter duo Bobby-Sanjay, the cast also included Narain, Samvrutha Sunil, Rima Kallingal and Remya Nambeesan.
Helmed by Aashiq Abu, this slice-of-life film revolves around the lead character Michael (Pratap), who sets out on a quest to find his friends upon returning to India. Once he meets his friends Ravi and Madan, they go on a road trip and relive their childhood memories.
Marking popular filmmaker Balu Mahendra’s second directorial venture, Azhiyatha Kolangal starred Pratap and Shoba in the lead. Kamal Haasan was roped in for a guest role. It is a coming-of-age story about three friends who grow up in a village. The film is said to be partly inspired from the 1971 Hollywood movie Summer of 42.
Following his successful stint in Malayalam, Pratap also got the opportunity to act in Tamil films. In Varumaiyin Niram Sivappu, he worked with director K Balachander, and shared the screen with Kamal Haasan and Sridevi. The film follows the lives of three Tamil men in Delhi and their struggles with poverty and unemployment. Rangan (Kamal), a stickler for rules, finds it difficult to thrive in corrupt workplaces and struggles to land a job. Pratap plays a character who is in love with the protagonist Devi (Sridevi), but is jealous of her closeness with Rangan.
In this movie, Pratap played the lead role alongside Sarath Babu, Suhasini and Mohan. In her debut film, Suhasini appeared as Viji, who is in love with Ram (Mohan). Following their separation, she is forced to marry Pratap, a photographer who comes to Chennai from Calcutta. Viji has a difficult time accepting Pratap as her husband. The rest of the film tracks how she meets Ram again. The Mahendran directorial bagged both national awards and Tamil Nadu state film awards that year.
Pratap made his Telugu debut with the 1984 film Kanchana Ganga, which was helmed by Madhusudhan Rao and co-starred Chandra Mohan, Sarath Babu, Saritha and Swapna in the lead. Pratap also acted in other Telugu movies like Chukkallo Chandrudu (2006) and Veedevadu (2017). Meanwhile, he made his Bollywood debut with Mani Ratnam’s Hindi film Guru, which was also dubbed and released in Tamil.
As a filmmaker, Pratap made his debut with Meendum Oru Kaathal Kathai and went on to spearhead other films like Vettri Vizhaa, starring Kamal Haasan in the lead, Telugu movie Chaitanya starring Nagarjuna Akkineni in the lead, and the Malayalam Rithubhedam.
He also hosted the Tamil reality show Naalaiya Iyakkunar, which was started with the aim of providing a platform for aspiring filmmakers, and in the process, actors, editors, cinematographers, writers and other technicians also got to showcase their talents.
In more recent years, Pratap was involved in running his ad agency, Green Apple.