Santha Devi
Encyclopedia
Santha Devi better known by her stage name Kozhikode Santha Devi, was an India
n Malayalam
film and stage actress. In a career spanning about sixty years, she acted in more than 1000 plays and about 480 films.
in 1927 as the daughter of Thottathil Kannakkuruppu and Karthiyayani Amma as the seventh daughter of their 10 children. She did her studies from Sabha school and then B.E.M school. She got married at the age of 18 with her uncle's son Balakrishnan who was a Railway guard, but the relationship did not last long. He left Santha Devi after the couple had a son. Later, she got married to Kozhikode Abdul Kader
, a popular Malayalam playback singer. He was a Christian during the time of their marriage and later changed his religion to Islam
. She has two kids in her second marriage, Suresh Babu and the late Sathyajith.
She made her debut as an actress through a 1954 drama Smarakam written by Vasu Pradeep and directed by Kundanari Appu Nair. She made her cinema debut in Minnaminungu (1957) directed by Ramu Karyat. She has acted in over 480 movies including Moodupadam, Kuttikkuppayam, Kunjalimaraykkar, Iruttinte Athmavu, Sthalathe pradhana payyans and Adwaitham. Kerala Cafe
, produced by director Ranjith, was her last movie where she enacted the role of a forlorn grandmother with no one to look after her. Besides movies, she was also active in television serials. Her most memorable roles are from Manasi and Minnukettu.
Santha Devi died on 20 November 2010 evening in a private hospital in Kozhikode
.
for her performance in Yamanam
(1992) directed by Bharath Gopi
. She has received the Kerala State award for best Stage actress in 1968 for her role in Kudukkukal. In 1968, she received award from Thrissur Fine Arts Society and in 1973 she received best actress award again. In 1978, her acting in Ithu bhoomiyanu and Inquilabinte makkal fetched her Kerala Sangeetha Nadaka Acamedy's award for best actress. She won the Kerala Film Critics Association Award in 1979 and Kerala State Award for Best Actress in State plays in 1983 for Deepasthambham Mahashcharyam.
In 1992 she got Film critics award again. Santha Devi was awarded Premji award and later in 2005 the lifetime achievement award from Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n Malayalam
Malayalam language
Malayalam , is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. It is spoken by 35.9 million people...
film and stage actress. In a career spanning about sixty years, she acted in more than 1000 plays and about 480 films.
Biography
Santha Devi was born in KozhikodeKozhikode
Kozhikode During Classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, Kozhikkode was dubbed the "City of Spices" for its role as the major trading point of eastern spices. Kozhikode was once the capital of an independent kingdom of the same name and later of the erstwhile Malabar District...
in 1927 as the daughter of Thottathil Kannakkuruppu and Karthiyayani Amma as the seventh daughter of their 10 children. She did her studies from Sabha school and then B.E.M school. She got married at the age of 18 with her uncle's son Balakrishnan who was a Railway guard, but the relationship did not last long. He left Santha Devi after the couple had a son. Later, she got married to Kozhikode Abdul Kader
Kozhikode Abdul Kader
Kozhikode Abdul Kader, born Leslie Andrews was a Malayalam playback singer.-Biography:Born to J. S. Andrews and Manini on February 19, 1916, Andrews converted to Islam and rechristened himself as Abdul Kader when he landed up in Burma. He was first noticed by the music director V. Dakshinamoorthy....
, a popular Malayalam playback singer. He was a Christian during the time of their marriage and later changed his religion to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. She has two kids in her second marriage, Suresh Babu and the late Sathyajith.
She made her debut as an actress through a 1954 drama Smarakam written by Vasu Pradeep and directed by Kundanari Appu Nair. She made her cinema debut in Minnaminungu (1957) directed by Ramu Karyat. She has acted in over 480 movies including Moodupadam, Kuttikkuppayam, Kunjalimaraykkar, Iruttinte Athmavu, Sthalathe pradhana payyans and Adwaitham. Kerala Cafe
Kerala Cafe
Kerala Cafe is a Malayalam anthology film produced by Ranjith and directed by a team of ten directors including Lal Jose, Shaji Kailas, Anwar Rasheed, Shyamaprasad, B. Unnikrishnan, Revathy, Anjali Menon, M. Padmakumar, Shankar Ramakrishnan, and Uday Ananthan. For the first time in the history of...
, produced by director Ranjith, was her last movie where she enacted the role of a forlorn grandmother with no one to look after her. Besides movies, she was also active in television serials. Her most memorable roles are from Manasi and Minnukettu.
Santha Devi died on 20 November 2010 evening in a private hospital in Kozhikode
Kozhikode
Kozhikode During Classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, Kozhikkode was dubbed the "City of Spices" for its role as the major trading point of eastern spices. Kozhikode was once the capital of an independent kingdom of the same name and later of the erstwhile Malabar District...
.
Awards
She won the National Film Award for Best Supporting ActressNational Film Award for Best Supporting Actress
The National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress winners:...
for her performance in Yamanam
Yamanam
Yamanam is a 1992 Malayalam film, directed by Bharath Gopi, and starring Archana, Santha Devi, Syama and Nedumudi Venu.-Plot:A physically girl Ambili is restricted to a wheelchair because of a childhood attack of polio. Unable to move out of home, she has only to fantasize the exteriors...
(1992) directed by Bharath Gopi
Bharath Gopi
V. Gopinathan Nair, popularly known as Bharath Gopi was an Indian film actor, producer, and director. He was one of the first actors to be associated with the New Wave cinema movement in Kerala....
. She has received the Kerala State award for best Stage actress in 1968 for her role in Kudukkukal. In 1968, she received award from Thrissur Fine Arts Society and in 1973 she received best actress award again. In 1978, her acting in Ithu bhoomiyanu and Inquilabinte makkal fetched her Kerala Sangeetha Nadaka Acamedy's award for best actress. She won the Kerala Film Critics Association Award in 1979 and Kerala State Award for Best Actress in State plays in 1983 for Deepasthambham Mahashcharyam.
In 1992 she got Film critics award again. Santha Devi was awarded Premji award and later in 2005 the lifetime achievement award from Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi.