Mukesh

Both of Mukesh's parents, O. Madhavan and Vijayakumari, were actors. Born Mukesh Babu in Kollam on 5 March 1957, he studied botany and later law, and was active in stage drama before films. His screen debut was a lead role in Balloon (1982). He has since worked as an actor, producer, television presenter and politician, mostly in Malayalam cinema with occasional Tamil appearances. He has chaired the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy, and represented Kollam in the Kerala Legislative Assembly from 2016 to 2026. Over four decades he has acted in more than 275 Malayalam films. In the mid-1980s he worked in several Priyadarshan comedies, among them Boeing Boeing (1985) with Mohanlal, and in Oru CBI Diary Kurippu (1988) he played Chacko, a character he returned to in later films of the series. Ramji Rao Speaking (1989) was his major break. His 1996 film Kaanaakkinaavu won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. As a producer, he co-produced Kadha Parayumbol (2007), a Kerala State Film Award winner, and produced Thattathin Marayathu (2012). He played AIG Premkumar in Oru Anweshanathinte Thudakkam (2024). Coming up are the superhero film Cosmic Samson, due on 27 November, where he is Sandeep's father, and Anand Menen's family film Happiloop, which he leads with Manju Warrier.