Pratap K. Pothen


Pratap K. Pothen, popularly known as Pratap Pothen, is an Indian actor, director, writer, and producer who has acted in about 100 films. He has acted in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu as well as Hindi films. He directed films in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu.

Early life and background

Pratap was born in Thiruvananthapuram. His father Kolathinkal Pothen was a well known businessman of Thiruvananthapuram. He has two brothers and two sisters. He did his schooling at Lawrence School, Lovedale, in Ooty. He finished Schooling in 1968. His elder brother Hari Pothen was also a film producer was married to then-famous actress Jayabharathi for a short while. His father died when he was 18. The youngest of five children, he grew up in a household where art, politics, entertainment and business co-existed, allowing him to experience a large cross-section of life from his ancestral home in Trivandrum in Kerala.

College life

Pratap gained admission to Madras Christian College, Madras. Pratap remained friends with those he went to school and MCC with. His friends helped him act in plays at college and his interest turned to acting from painting.
He left MCC with a B.A in Economics in 1971. Pratap started to work as a copywriter in an ad agency in Mumbai. After a year, he joined Sistas ad agency. Later, he worked for Hindustan Thomson.
During the late sixties and early seventies, armed with a boarding school education from Ooty and awakened by an amazing bohemian experience gained "chasing the wind" during his college days at MCC in Madras, the young Prathap went about shedding his shy schoolboy skin and embracing a culture of theatre and art.

Film career

Pratap acted with The Madras Players. The late director Bharathan enjoyed Pratap's performance in Shaw's play Androcles and the Lion, and invited him to act in his Malayalam film Aaravam.
Pratap acted in critically acclaimed films such as Thakara and Chamaram. Chamaram dealt with the tumultuous affair between a student and his college lecturer.
Films such as Nenjathai Killathe, Panneer Pushpangal, Moodupani and Varumayin Niram Sivappu made Pratap famous in Tamil also.
After a few years break from Malayalam movies, Pratap made his comeback in 2012 by acting in 22 Female Kottayam in a negative role. The film made him more popular in Mollywood. It was the comeback of Pratap Pothen and he acted in several more movies including the super hit Ayallum Njanum Thammil, 3 Dots, Idukki Gold and Arikil Oraal.

Film director

Pratap directed in Tamil, Malayalam & Telugu.
Notable Filmography:
In Malayalam:
In Tamil: Jeeva Vetri Vizha, My Dear Marthandan, Athma, Magudam, Meendum Oru Kaathal Kathai, Seevalaperi Pandi & Lucky Man.
He also directed a Telugu film – Chaitanya .
In 2006, Pratap Pothan announced that he would direct Madhavan in a script written by K. Rajeswar. Pre-production works proved to be difficult and the film went through several changes of title and lead actress, before it was announced that the film would be called Oru Naal Podhuma and would feature Rukmini Vijayakumar in the leading female role. The team had made plans to complete shooting for the film in Canada, though creative differences meant that the film was subsequently shelved.

Recent projects

In the last few years, he was busy with his ad agency named "Green Apple" and focused on commercials for MRF Tyres and Nippo. He used to host Naalaya Iyakkunar on Kalaignar TV. Now Pratap Pothen is active as an actor.

Awards and nominations

His first National Film Award was the Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director for the film Meendum Oru Kaathal Kathai.
Pratap was married twice. His first marriage was with leading actress Raadhika in 1985 and subsequently they divorced in 1986. His second marriage was with Amala Satyanath Pothen in 1990, a senior corporate professional and they have a daughter Keya born in 1991.

Filmography

As actor

As director

YearFilmLanguageNotes
1985Meendum Oru Kaathal KathaiTamilAlso actor
Also writer
Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director
1987RithubhedamMalayalamFilmfare Award for Best Director – Malayalam
1988DaisyMalayalamAlso writer
1988JeevaTamilAlso writer
1989Vetri VizhaTamilAlso writer
1990My Dear MarthandanTamilAlso writer
1991ChaitanyaTeluguAlso writer
1992MagudamTamilAlso writer
1993AthmaTamilAlso writer
1994Seevalaperi PandiTamil
1995Lucky ManTamilAlso writer
1997Oru YathramozhiMalayalam

As writer