Kunchacko Boban

Fazil's romantic drama Aniyathipraavu (1997) gave Kunchacko Boban his first lead, opposite Shalini, and the film became the biggest Malayalam earner up to that time. He was not new to the camera. As a child he had appeared in Dhanya (1981), a production of his father Boban Kunchacko, and he belongs to the Kunchacko film family. Born on 2 November 1976 in Alappuzha, the actor and producer is popularly called Chackochan. Niram and Nakshatratharattu kept the romantic hits coming and, in the early 2000s, earned him the "chocolate boy" tag. A quieter mid-decade followed, and from 2006 he took a break from films and turned to business. The comedy Gulumal: The Escape (2009) brought him back, and from there he steadily moved away from the romantic image. Traffic, How Old Are You?, Take Off, Virus, Nayattu and Pada broadened his range, and Nna Thaan Case Kodu won him a Kerala State Film Award. He led the ensemble of 2018 (2023) as Shaji Punnoose, and his films now number more than a hundred. As producer, he made Kochavva Paulo Ayyappa Coelho through Udaya Studios in 2016. His recent release is Unmadham (2026), in which he plays Shelly. Bachelor Party D'eux is upcoming, and he is set to lead debutant Abhijith's film for Panorama Studios, with shooting in Kannur planned.