Kunchacko

A pioneering director and producer, Kunchacko played a pivotal role in the founding of the Malayalam film industry. His films also provided avenues for Malayalam cinema’s first big stars Thikkurissi Sukumaran Nair, Kottarakkara Sridharan Nair, Augustine Joseph and Sebastian Kunju Kunju Bhagavathar.  

Kunchacko was born in Pulinkunnoo, to Mani Chacko Maliampurackal, and Eliyamma. He became interested in filmmaking from a young age and was already making plans to establish a film studio after finishing his studies. He set up Udaya Studio in Alleppey in 1947. He partnered with K V Koshy to run K & K Productions in the early stages, making films like Vellinakshatram (1949),Jeevitha Nouka (1951) and Visappinte Vili (1952). This was the beginning of Malayalam cinema’s gradual shift away from film production in Madras. It also helped in establishing a unique identity separate from Tamil cinema. Kunchacko later stated in his autobiography that he was inspired by Telugu producer B N Reddi’s example. Jeevitha Nouka starring Thikurissi Sukumaran Nair was a major commercial success. During the making of Achan (1952), Kunchako and Koshy went their separate ways. Kunchacko continued to produce films under the Udaya Pictures banner. But the failure of Kidappadam (1955) forced him to close down Udaya Studio. But later with the aid of Kerala state minister T V Thomas, Udaya was reopened. During this early period, he collaborated with scenarists like Muthukulam Raghavan Pillaiand K P Kottarakkara. The studio enjoyed a rivalry with Merryland Studio founded by P Subramaniam.

He made his directorial debut with Umma (1960) and later went on to establish a varied body of work with films like Seeta (1960), Krishna Kuchela (1961), Bharya (1962), Rebecca (1963), Pazhassi Raja (1964), Shakuntala (1965), Thilothama (1966), Anarkali (1966), Mynatharavi Kola Case (1967), Ponnapuram Kotta (1973), Thenaruvi (1973), Pavangal Pennungal (1973) and many others. This period saw him relying mainly on the star power of Prem Nazir. His films often had strong political undertones and referenced popular scandals. He produced films for directors like M Krishnan Nair, Thoppil Vasi, Aloysius Vincent, K S Sethumadhavan, K Raghunath among others. His later films followed the tradition of paingili novels. 

The veteran director-producer passed away on 15 June, 1976. His son Boban Kunchako and grandson Kunchako Boban both became actors. Navodaya Appachan, his brother, founded the Navodaya Studios. After his death, Udaya Studio could not sustain itself for much longer. But in 2016, Kunchako Boban announced a new film to be produced under its banner, thus bringing back Malayalam cinema’s oldest studio.