Showing all artists born in January 1

Rani Chandra (born in Kochi, Kerala) was a Malayalam film actress and winner of the Miss Kerala Title.She died in a plane crash in 1976. She acted in several landmark films such as Nellu (Malayalam, 1974), Bhadrakali (Tamil, 1976) and Swapnadanam (Malayalam, 1976).

She was born to Chandran and Kanthimathi in 1949 at Fort Kochi, Travancore-Cochin (now Kerala). She had four sisters and a brother. She pursued degree from St Thereses College Ernakulam. She owned a dance troupe. She was selected as Miss Kerala in 1972.

Her first film, Anjusundarikal, was widely accepted by the audience. Other major films included Ulsavam, Kadarumasam, Nellu, Swapnadanam, Oonjal, Alinganam, Abhinandanam, Sindoooram, Thirumadhuram, and Anuragam.

She won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress for the film Swapnadanam. Rani Chandra played the major role in the very popular Tamil cinema song "Kannan Oru Kaikuzhanthai" on YouTube in the film Bhadrakali.

Rani Chandra, her mother, and three sisters were killed in Indian Airlines Flight 171 crash in 1976. They were on a return flight from Bombay when their plane caught fire and nose dived near the airport, killing everyone on board.

They were returning from a Dance performance in the Middle East. Ironically, their earlier flight from Bombay to Madras returned to Bombay shortly after take off after a snag hit. The aircraft and all passengers were re-boarded onto the flight. The dead included members of her music troupe as well.

After her death, the unfinished portion of the movie Bhadrakali was finished using a double. The movie ends using earlier footage of Rani Chandra.

Actress Kalimaamani KR Indira, sister of popular dubbing artist Anuradha and the mother of dubbing artist Jayageetha.

Indira made her acting debut in Konjum Kumari where even Aachi Manorama made her debut.  Indira was the onscreen pair for Nambiar in MGR’s Petraal Dhaan Pillaiyaa.  She had acted in more than 250 films, the notable ones being Kandhan Karunai, Sindhu Bairavi, Mannan and Panakkaaran. Her last film was Girivalam where she played granny to Richard.

She passed away the 16th March, 2017

TamilStar.com offers its condolence to the bereaved family and prays for the departed sould to rest in peace.

Maharaj Krishna Raina, popularly known as M.K. Raina is one of India's best-known theatre actors and directors. M. K. Raina graduated from National School of Drama in 1970 with Best actor award. Since 1972 he has been freelance theater worker and film person, working all over India in many languages and with many traditional forms.


Maharaj Krishna Raina was born in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Maharaj completed his college in Srinagar and then moved to NSD in delhi on a state scholarship. Raina, born into a Kashmiri Pandit family, comes from a family background of doctors & engineers. His father was also a Political activist, and this also influenced Raina into social activism.


After graduating from National school of drama in 1970, Raina commenced on his work in Indian parallel cinema "27 Down", in which he also plays the lead role of 'Sanjay'. He has produced over 130 plays in 13 launguages. His association with the rural and urban theater across the country has developed into a unique style, where both forms blend together and yet are rich with contemporary meaning and significance.


As an actor, he has worked in more than a hundred plays. He has directed several memorable productions like Kabira Khada Bazar Mein, Karmawali, Lower Depths, Pari Kukh, Kabhi Na Chooden Khet and The Mother; Andha Yug, which he directed was performed in Berlin and the Festival of India in the USSR. He also produced Jasma Odan at Hawaii University in 1986. Shri Raina has conducted many theatre workshops and acted and directed in a number of feature films including 27 Down, Satah Se Uthta Aadmi, Ek Ruka Hua Faisla, Tamas, Titli, Genesis, Tarang, Ankur Mayna Kabutar etc.


He has been making documentary films for many years. His latest documentary Sacred Dances at Hemis Festiual has been made for Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts.
Cultural activist


Besides being a practicing actor/director in theater and media, he is known also as a cultural activist. Raina believes that culture is a counterpoint to the violence & terrorism around us.


He has received the Sanskriti Samman in 1980, the Sahitya Kala parishad Award in 1981, Best Director of the year by West Bengal Government 1982, the Best Director's award of Punjabi Akademi, Delhi in 1987.


Shri M.K. Raina received the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 1995  and the Swarna Padak from Govt. of Jammu and Kashmir in 1996 for his contribution to Indian Theater.

He was also awarded one of India's highest theatre awards, the B.V. Karanth award for lifetime achievement in 2007.


Raina's wife is a doctor and also has two children, a son and a daughter.

Thiruvidaimarudur Sambamoorthi Ganapaadigal Balakrishna Sastrigal Mouli, credited as Mouli is an Indian stage and film actor, director and playwright. He is the son of noted Harikatha exponent T. S. Balakrishna Sastrigal. Mouli has stamped his authority on different facets of the film industry viz,. drama, script writing, acting and direction. He has directed films in Tamil and Telugu. A Kalaimamani award winner, his films have won five Nandi Awards including one for best direction in Telugu.

Mouli was interested in acting and played parts in stage plays right from his school days. As a school-going kid, he was fascinated by the plays of T. K. Shanmugam and Singanallur Venkataramana Iyer Sahasranamam, both noted personalities in producing stage plays at that time.

Although he pursued a BTech degree, he said he "could not resist the temptation to write plays". At 19, he wrote a 45-minute play and staged it at a function organised to felicitate actor Sivaji Ganesan for his Padma Shri award. In his college days, he was a part of Y. G. Parthasarathy's United Artists Association. However, Mouli first came into limelight in 1969 when he wrote the screenplay for and acted in the play "Flight No. 172". The play was an enormous success and ran for thirty continuous years.

He then ventured into film direction despite not having worked as assistant director to anybody. In an interview he said "Actually neither acting nor direction was my goal when I got a chance to venture into cinema. I just wanted to be a writer. But when a producer approached me to make one of my plays into a film and offered me direction too, I took it up". His first feature film was Ivargal Vidhyasamaanavargal, which according to himself, "proved commercially viable" but his second film Matravai Neril, which he got to make, even before his first was completed, was his big break. The film made with newcomers, took just 25 days to complete the shoot, and ran for 100 days. He later directed two films under K. Balachander's banner, Anne Anne and Oru Pullanguzhal Adupputhugirathu and wrote the comedy track in Balachander's directorial Nizhal Nijamagiradhu besides acting in it. His film Vaa Indha Pakkam was dubbed in Telugu and introduced Mouli to the Telugu industry. The same producer approached him to do a direct Telugu film. He did not know the language but with the help of popular Telugu writer Jandhyala who translated his script, he made the film Patnam Vachina Pativrathalu with Chiranjeevi and Radhika. The film was a high success, running for 280 days. From then on, he made over 20 Telugu films in the next 15 years.

His celluloid scripts include Kamalhassan's Pammal K. Sambandam, who later made him to direct a film for his own banner Rajjkamal films starring R.Madhavan, Nala Damayanthi in the year 2003.

Three of his popular plays were translated into Telugu and Bengali and were staged by eminent troupes in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal with a record of 4000 stage shows.

He received the Kalaimamani Award for "Best Writer" in 1985 and the Nandi Award for five films. He has acted in more than 100 films in Tamil and Telugu. He has done supporting roles in films like Thiruvilayaadal Aarambam, Pirivom Sandhippom, Irumbukkotai Murattu Singam and Kadhal to Kalyanam

Maheshwari Amma, better known by her stage name K.P.A.C. Lalitha, is an Indian film and stage actress who works primarily in Malayalam cinema. She was married to late filmmaker Bharathan.

K.P.A.C. Lalitha was born as Maheshwari in Ramapuram near Kayamkulam, Alappuzha, Kerala to Kadaykatharayil Veettil K. Ananthan Nair and Bhargavi Amma on 1947. She has a brother and a sister: Krishnakumar and Shyamala. She learned to dance when she was still a child under the tutelage of 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 K.P.A.C. (Kerala People's Arts Club), which was a prominent leftist drama troupe in Kerala. She was given the screen-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 called Lalitha.



Her first movie was the film adaptation of her K.P.A.C. play Koottukudumbam directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan. She then went on to act in critically acclaimed films like Swayamvaram and Anubhavangal Palichakal. She acted as the heroine opposite superstar Prem Nazir in Chakravakam. She was the female lead in Kodiyettam (1977) with actor Bharath Gopi.



In 1978 she married Bharathan, a noted Malayalam film director. She took a break from film acting for sometime, doing only a few films. The second era of her career started with Kattathe Kilikkoodu (1983) directed by her husband. During this time, she did many critically acclaimed roles including those in Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam (1986), Ponn Muttyidunna Tharavu (1988), Mukunthetta Sumitra Vilikkunnu (1988), Vadakku Nooki Yanthram (1989), Dasharatham (1989), Venkalam (1993), Godfather (1991), Amaram (1991), Vietnam Colony (1993), Pavithram (1993), Manichitrathazhu (1994), Sphadikam (1995), and Aniyathi Pravu (1997). She won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Amaram (1991), a film directed by her husband Bharathan.



K.P.A.C Lalitha is the proud owner of the powerful and modulative voice. That voice given completion to her characters and made that roles immortal. For movie "Mathilukal" (In "Mathilukal" heroine is represented by voice no appearance on screen), the director Adoor Gopalakrishnan used her voice for heroine. She has even given her voice for Sharada in Udayam(1973), Badradeepam(1973) and Thara (1970),Nanditha Bose in Dharmayudham, Vijayasree in Padmavyooham(1973) and for Surekha in Thakara(1980).



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



K.P.A.C, Lalitha has acted in over 500 Malayalam films and three Tamil films. She still appears in films and is a well-respected person in the Malayalam film industry.



K.P.A.C Lalitha has acted alongside many popular actors of the Malaylam film industry: Bharath Gopi, Kuthiravattam Pappu, Sankaradi, Innocent, Thilakan, Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Mala Aravindan, Krishnankutty Nair, Karamana Janardanan Nair, Janardanan, Nedumudi Venu, and Murali to name a few. She acted with Mammootty in the movie Kanalkaattu.

Pandu is a Tamil film actor who has appeared in comedy role. His brother Idichapuli Selvaraj had also previously appeared in films as a comedian.After finishing his schooling, Pandu entered the College of Arts and Crafts in Chennai and nurtured an interest in creative art.

Pandu made his acting debut in Karaiyellam Shenbagapoo joining his brother Idichapuli Selvaraj who had appeared in several films a comedian. He played a supporting role in Agathiyan's Kadhal Kottai portraying Ramasamy who accompanies Ajith Kumar in Rajasthan.

In 2013, he starred in Vellachi, which featured his son Pintu Pandu in a leading role. He designed Tamil Nadu Tourism Logo Umbrella and got prize and appreciation.

He designed the Two Leaves Party Logo under the instruction and supervision of AIADMK founder leader MGR
Away from films, in 1975 the started a brass and aluminium business in Chennai called Prapanj Unlimited. He runs it as a family business, with son Prabhu Panju in charge. In 2014, he held an art exhibition alongside another son Panju Pandu.

Poomani (Tamil: பூமணி) (born 1947) is a Sahithya Academy Winning Tamil writer from Kovilpatti in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu.He won Sahithya Academy Award for his novel Agnaadi in 2014.

Poomani was born in 1947 into a family of marginal farmers in Andipatti, a village near Kovilpatti.

In his youth, Poomani was enchanted by the stories he heard around him growing up, as told by his mother and in his community. As a young man, the works of Ki. Rajanarayanan, a senior writer from Kovilpatti, inspired Poomani to take up writing. According to Poomani, KiRa combined in his writing "the scent of the soil with the natural flow of life's energies to enable the writing to develop its own traits, instead of borrowing from other models".

He was also influenced by P. Kesavadev's Malayalam novel, Ayalkar, published in English as The Neighbours (1979).Poomani found in Ayalkar a worthy model: "It is a strong story, told with an aesthetic narrative style and keen imagination.

The imagination adds lustre to the nature of the story, instead of dominating it. Changes and values arise anew on their own. The narration brings many things alive for the reader, carries him to the terrain of the story and stands him there. It makes him walk alongside, cry and laugh. When everything is wrapped up at the end, it makes him think."

Poomani's historical novel Agnaadi (January 2012) has been called "a landmark work". It covers a period of more than 170 years from the beginning of the 19th century, revolving mainly around the lives and fortunes of several families dispersed over villages in the region: Kalingal, Kazhugumalai, Chatrapatti, Veppankadu, Chinnaiahpuram and Sivakasi.

The families are from a range of castes (Pallars, Vannaars, Panaiyeri Nadars, Naickers and Thevars) and occupations (farmers, washermen, toddy-tappers, landed squires and warriors). Poomani received a 28-month study and research grant from Indian Foundation of the Arts in Bengaluru to study the history of the novel.The novel won the inaugural Gitanjali Literary Prize.
Poomani directed the award-winning movie Karuvelam Pookkal (1996) for NFDC.

Jai Ganesh (Tamil: ஜெய்கணேஷ்) was an Indian Tamil film actor, who mostly acted in supporting roles and was perhaps best known for his role in films like Aval Oru Thodar Kathai and Attukara Alamelu. His most popular roles have been as a supporting actor or even as a villain in films like Thaayillamal Naanillai, Athisaya Piravi and few more. He was born in 1946.

He was introduced into the film industry by director K. Balachander in Aval Oru Thodar Kathai. From then on, he acted in many films as hero and also as character actor. Some of his famous films in 1970s are Neeya, Pilot Premnath, Vattathukkul Sathuram and Vanakathukuriya Kathaliyae& Azhage unnai Aradhikkiren.

Jai Ganesh died of cancer on 11 February 2001, at the age of 54. He acted in lot of movies as hero as well as in supporting roles with famous actors including Sivaji Ganesan, Jaishankar, Sivakumar, Muthuraman, Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Vijayakanth, Sathyaraj, Karthik Muthuraman, Vijay and Ajith Kumar.

Kanthimathi or Ganthimathi (died September 9 2011) was a Tamil stage and film actress. She had acted in over 500 films.

Kanthimathi was born in Manamadurai in the then Ramnad District of British India in 1945. She started acting in dramas and entered films at the age of eleven.

The role which got her noticed was the portrayal of Mayil's mother in 16 Vayathinile. Other important Tamil films in which she acted include Mann Vasanai, Muthu and Karagattakaran. She was awarded the Kalaimamani Award by the Government of Tamil Nadu for her contribution to Tamil cinema.

She acted as mother and grandmother almost to all actors and actresses like M.G.R, Rajinikanth, Kamalhassan, Vijaykanth, Sathyaraj, Prabhu, Vijay, Revathi, Radha, Ambika, Radhika, etc. Other actors or actresses cannot utter the non-lexical fillers like 'aaahhhnnn' and proverbs like "Chithada kalli viragu odaika ponalam kathala mullu kothoda kuthidichan" (When a lazy girl is forced to go for the work of cutting the firewood she may complain that aloe vera thorns poked her in a bunch) like she could.

Ramesh Kanna is a Tamil film director and actor and acts in supporting roles and comedian roles.


Ramesh Kanna was born in Chennai and third child to the family. He acted in "Nadaga kavalar" R.S.Manohar's drama troup from the age of 5 as child arttist more than 1000 dramas up to his age of 10 and was appreciated by Dr. Radhakrishnan, President of India at that time and puratchi kavigner Baradhi dhasan. He became assistant to directors Karaikudi Narayanan, Pandiarajan ('Aan Pavam'), Kodi Ramakrishna, Vikraman ('Poove Unakkaga', 'Suryavamsam', 'Unnai Ninaithu' and 'Priyamana Thozhi') and K.S.Ravikumar. Only after Dierctor vikraman introduced him as comedian in "unnidathil ennai koduthen" he came to limelight.



Kanna has acted in notable roles in films such as Unnai Ninaithu, Friends, Padayappa, and Villain. He has also appeared in supporting roles in films such as Thulluvatho Illamai.