Kottayam Nazeer

No one else has received the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award in the mimicry category. Kottayam Nazeer won it in 2010 for his work in impersonation. Born on 29 January 1973 at Karukachal, the Kerala performer combines mimicry, acting and painting, and his screen work spans Malayalam cinema and television. He built his reputation on the state's mimicry stage circuit before films, and his film career began in 1995. Painting has become a serious pursuit for him in recent years. On screen he has taken a range of character roles. He played Seban/Thankachan in Oru Anweshanathinte Thudakkam and CPO Reghu in the police drama Thalavan, both in 2024. His 2026 work includes the Malayalam films Unmadham and Avaraachan and Sons, the second of them currently in theatres. That year he also joined the cast of Rajinikanth's Tamil film Jailer 2, and he has spoken about the experience while recalling the road from a theatre in Karukachal to sharing the screen with the star. Performance, mimicry and art continue to share his time.