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Ottamthullal, Kunchan Nambiar

Ottamthullal or Ottanthullal (Malayalam:ഓട്ടന്‍ തുള്ളല്‍) is a type of performing art from Kerala, south India. The art form was created during the feudal era by legendary Malayalam poet Kalakkaththu Kunchan Nambiar. The story goes that Nambiar, who was playing the mizhavu for a Chakyar Koothu show, dozed off in the middle of the performance, thus inviting ridicule from the Chakyar. A humiliated Nambiar vowed to come up with an alternative art form to Chakyar koothu, and conjured up an Ottamthullal show that also made fun of prevalent socio-political equations and prejudices of the region.
Ottamthullal, over the centuries, has a (mostly) single actor, donning a green make-up and wearing colourful costumes (which once prompted Pt Jawaharlal Nehru to once remark that Ottamthullal is "poor man's Kathakali") and reciting the thullal lyrics (dance songs), all the while acting and dancing himself. The art form has of late found practitioners from among women too, and is occasionally staged as a group dance form with each artiste representing a character in the storyplay.
The art form still retains its satirical touch, and lends the artiste the freedom to improvise, more so on humour. Its incidental satire makes this art form more popular among the common man. Unlike in the case of Kathakali, the language is pretty Malayalam and the lyrics are set to rhythms that range from simple to rare and complicated.

Pazhassi Raja, Lion of Kerala,Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja

Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja, popularly known as the Lion of Kerala, hailed from Padinjare Kovilakam and was the king of the Kottayam Royal family (near Thalassery, Kannur district) of Malabar region in Kerala, India during the last decades of the 18th century
He achieved the title Veera (brave) when he fought a guerilla war against British occupation with the able help of his loyal Kurichiyar tribe.

Pazhassi Raja (film)

Directed by
T. Hariharan
Produced by
Gokulam Gopalan
Written by
M. T. Vasudevan Nair
Narrated by
Mohanlal (Malayalam)Kamal Haasan (Tamil)Shahrukh Khan (Hindi)Chiranjeevi (Telungu)
Starring
MammoottySarath KumarPadmapriyaKanika SubramaniamManoj K. JayanThilakanJagathi SreekumarSuresh KrishnaSumanLinda Arsenio
Music by
Ilaiyaraaja
Cinematography
Venu
Editing by
A. Sreekar Prasad
Language
Malayalam
Budget
INR 27 crores
Pazhassi Raja is a forthcoming Indian trilingual biopic magnum opus historical film directed by T. Hariharan, and written by M.T. Vasudevan Nair. It stars Superstar Mammootty in the lead role, R. Sarathkumar, Thilakan, Kanika Subramaniam, Padmapriya, Manoj K. Jayan, Peter Handley Evans, Harry Key, Linda Arsenio, and Jagathi Sreekumar in other pivotal roles. The film's score and soundtrack are done by Illayaraja. The score was recorded in Hungary, with the Hungary Symphony Orchestra. The sound designing is done by Academy Award winner Resul Pookutty. Originally filmed in the Malayalam language, the film is to be dubbed and released in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi on the same date.

Raja Ravi Varma

Raja Ravi Varma, (Malayalam: രാജാ രവി വര്‍മ ) (April 29, 1848- October 2, 1906) was an Indian painter from the princely state of Travancore who achieved recognition for his depiction of scenes from the epics of the Mahabharata and Ramayana. His paintings are considered to be among the best examples of the fusion of Indian traditions with the techniques of European academic art.
Varma is most remembered for his paintings of beautiful sari-clad women, who were portrayed as shapely and graceful. His exposure in the west came when he won the first prize in the Vienna Art Exhibition in 1873. Raja Ravi Varma died in 1906 at the age of 58. He is generally considered as one among the greatest painters in the history of Indian art.