P.J. Anthony

P. J. Antony (1 January 1925 – 14 March 1979) was an Indian stage and film actor. He received the National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in Nirmalyam in 1974. He was also the first actor working in Malayalam cinema to receive the award. Antony was also a respected figure in the professional theatre field, working with communist cultural and art bodies like the K.P.A.C.He also established his own theater, named Prathibha Theatres, in Kochi. In his early 20s, Antony served in the Royal Navy during World War II. Post war, he returned home and joined a workshop as an officer. It was in this period that Antony got chance to work with professional theatre artists. Soon he established himself as a prominent figure in Malayalam plays with his skills in acting, writing and direction. He was directly associated with the K.P.A.C., a major political drama theater at that time. He later established two theaters of his own, namely P. J. Theatres and Prathibha Theatres (which is still active).Building on his expertise in stage plays, Antony began his film acting career. His debut film was Randidangazhi (1957), a film adaptation of Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai's novel of the same title. He won the National Film Award for Best Actor (known then, in 1974, as the Bharath Award) for his performance as a velichappadu (an oracle or medium between the Goddess and the worshipper in a Hindu temple) in Nirmalyam, directed by prominent literary figure M. T. Vasudevan Nair. Antony was the lyricist and screenwriter for a small number of films. He also directed a film titled Periyar.In a historical drama, Amal Neerad's Iyobinte Pusthakam had the famous director Aashiq Abu playing the role of P. J. Antony, though in a guest appearance.