Krishna Ravindranathan Nair | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1933-07-03)3 July 1933 |
| Died | 8 July 2023(2023-07-08) (aged 90) |
| Other names | Achani Ravi General Pictures Ravi |
| Occupation | Film producer |
| Years active | 1967–2023 |
| Spouse | Usha Ravi |
| Children | 3 |
| Father | Krishna Pillai |
| Awards | J. C. Daniel Award National Film Award Kerala State Film Award |
| Website | Official web site |
Krishna Ravindranathan Nair (3 July 1933[citation needed] – 8 July 2023), also known asAchani Ravi orGeneral Pictures Ravi, was an Indian film producer ofMalayalam films, industrialist and philanthropist. He was known for a number of critically acclaimed films he produced, such asKanchana Sita,Thampu,Kummatty,Esthappan,Pokkuveyil,Elippathayam,Manju,Mukhamukham,Anantaram andVidheyan. Nair was credited with fostering theart film movement in Malayalam cinema during the period from the 1970s to the 1990s.[1] A multiple recipient ofNational andState film awards, Nair was awarded theJ. C. Daniel Award by theGovernment of Kerala, in 2008, for his contributions to Malayalam cinema.[2][3]
K. Ravindran Nair was the fifth son ofVendor Krishna Pillai, one of the cashew processing pioneers of Kerala.[citation needed] His passion for literature and arts brought him intoMalayalam cinema and in 1967, he establishedGeneral Pictures under the banner of which he produced his first movie,Anweshichu Kandethiyilla, directed byP. Bhaskaran.[4][failed verification][5] This was followed by two more films the next year,Kattukurangu andLakshaprabhu, both directed by Bhaskaran. Ravi, as he is generally known, was silent for the next few years till he came out with his next film,Achani, anA. Vincent movie, in 1973, which earned him the moniker,Achani Ravi. The film was reported to be a commercial success like his earlier films and Ravi is known to have contributed the returns from the movie to building a Public Library in Kollam,[6][failed verification][7] of which he was a founder member and honorary secretary.[6][failed verification]
1977 marked a new chapter in Nair's life with the first of his films with the filmmakerG. Aravindan,Kanchana Sita releasing that year. This was followed by four more Aravindan films,Thampu (1978),Kummatty (1979),Esthappan (1979) andPokkuveyil (1981).[4][failed verification][5] The next film he produced,Elippathayam (1981), was directed byAdoor Gopalakrishnan. Three more films,Mukhamukham (1984),Anantaram (1987) andVidheyan (1993), with the same director were released in the ensuing years. In between, he also produced a film,Manju (1982) for theJnanpith andNational Film award winner,M. T. Vasudevan Nair.[4][failed verification][5]
Nair produced a total of 14 films for which he received 18 awards before he retired from cinema.[8][failed verification]
Usha Ravi, Nair's wife, was a playback singer having sung in movies such asThampu, Aambal poovu and Detective 909.[9] Usha died on 2 October 2013.[9][failed verification]
Nair died on 8 July 2023, at the age of 90.[10]
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