https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=V._T._Aravindaksha_MenonV. T. Aravindaksha Menon - Revision history2026-11-02T23:06:28ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=V._T._Aravindaksha_Menon&diff=543150&oldid=prevMd Nazmul Hasan Niaz: put up new pg from scratch2026-03-15T06:35:06Z<p>put up new pg from scratch</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{short description|Indian actor (1921–1994)}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2025}}<br />
{{Infobox person<br />
| name = V. T. Aravindaksha Menon<br />
| image = <br />
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1921|07|22}}<br />
| birth_place = [[Kodungallur]], [[British Raj]]<br />
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1994|05|03|1921|07|22}}<br />
| death_place=<br />
| known_for = Introducing realistic acting in the professional theatre of Kerala<br />
| father = Kochurama Warrier<br />
| mother = Parukutty Amma<br />
| spouse = L. Sarasamma<br />
| children = 2<br />
| relatives = <br />
| occupation = Actor<br />
| awards = {{bullet list|National Drama Award (1965)|[[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] (1965)|[[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship]] (1993)}}<br />
}}<br />
'''V. T. Aravindaksha Menon''' was an Indian actor from Kerala. Apart from performing lead roles in several plays, he has acted in 17 Malayalam films and sung two Malayalam film songs. He received the National Drama Award for acing in 1965, the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] for theatre from [[Sangeet Natak Akademi]], Government of India, in 1965 and the [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship]] for drama from [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi]], Government of Kerala, in 1993.<br />
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==Biography==<br />
Aravindaksha Menon was born on 22 July 1921, to Kochurama Warrier and Parukutty Amma at the Thaiparambu house in Vadassery, [[Kodungallur]] in present-day [[Thrissur district]] of Kerala.<ref name="paricayam">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FHsRAQAAIAAJ |title=Paricayam |date=1967 |pages=8 |language=ml}}</ref> He belongs to the lineage of the [[Kodungallur Kovilakam|Kodungallur (Cranganore) royal family]], from which many people in the field of art and literature were born.<ref name="SNA">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dLnDrXscte4C&q=Aravindaksha+Menon+Sangeet+Natak+Akademi |title=Fellows and Award-winners of Sangeet Natak Akademi 1952-2010: Citations and Composite Data |publisher=[[Sangeet Natak Akademi]] |year=2011 |pages=68 |language=en}}</ref> He participated in many musical and drama competitions during his school days and won. After completing his high school education, he studied classical music and conducted concerts.<ref name="paricayam" /><br />
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Menon died on 3 May 1994.<ref name="Hindu">{{Cite news |last=Krishnakumar |first=G. |date=2018-01-05 |title=In pursuit of 'missing token' |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/in-pursuit-of-missing-token/article22376587.ece |access-date=2025-07-11 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X |archive-date=2020-11-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109042852/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/in-pursuit-of-missing-token/article22376587.ece |url-status=live }}</ref><br />
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===Personal life===<br />
Menon was married to L. Sarasamma, and they have two sons Jayasankar and Krishna Kumar.<ref name="Hindu"/><br />
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==Career==<br />
===Theatre===<br />
Aravindaksha Menon was associated with the professional theatre stage from 1951. He first acted in the play Banker written by Kedamangalam Pappukutty in 1951.<ref name="MNS">{{Cite book |last=Bhāsi |first=Maṭavūr |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h_8bAAAAIAAJ |title=മലയാള നാടകസർവ്വസ്വം |date=1990 |publisher=Caitanyā Pabḷikkēṣans |pages=24 |language=ml}} A Malayalam language encyclopaedia on theatre</ref> <br />
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Aravindaksha Menon joined Kalanilayam, one of the famous theatre companies in Kerala at that time, in 1951. His lead roles in the plays produced under Kalanilayam were the role of [[Kadamattathu Kathanar]] in the play ''Kadamattathu Kathanar'', and the lead roles in the plays ''Ilayidathu Rani'' and ''Devadasi''.<ref name="Oxford">{{Citation |last=Lal |first=Ananda |title=Menon, V. T. Aravindaksha |date=2004 |work=The Oxford Companion to Indian Theatre |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780195644463.001.0001/acref-9780195644463-e-0354 |access-date=2025-07-12 |publisher=Oxford University Press |language=en |doi=10.1093/acref/9780195644463.001.0001 |isbn=978-0-19-564446-3|url-access=subscription }}</ref> He also played the character [[Duryodhana]] in the play ''Kurukshetram'' based on [[Kurukshetra War]], and the title character of [[Pazhassi Raja]] in the play ''Pazhassiraja'' by Kozhikode Raja Theatres.<ref name="Hindu" /> These performances of his marked the beginning of realistic acting in the professional theatre of Kerala.<ref name="Oxford" /> <br />
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In 1964, Kalanilayam introduced the story of the thief [[Kayamkulam Kochunni]] from [[Aithihyamala]] in a play with the same name and with the caption "Kerala's First Socialist Revolutionary".<ref name="mediaone">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2018-10-16 |title=ആരായിരുന്നു ഇത്തിക്കരപക്കി? കായംകുളം കൊച്ചുണ്ണി സിനിമയുടെ പശ്ചാത്തലത്തില് ഒരന്വേഷണം |url=https://www.mediaoneonline.com/entertainment/2018/10/16/who-is-ithikkarapakki-history |access-date=2025-07-11 |website=www.mediaoneonline.com |language=ml}}</ref> In it, the title character Kochunni was played by Aravindaksha Menon. He received the National Drama Award for Best Actor in 1965 for this role.<ref name="mediaone" /><br />
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In his career, Menon performed in various parts of India as a member of professional theatre groups including 'Ochira Parabrahmodayam Sangeetha Natana Sabha', 'Kalanilayam' and 'Kozhikode Raja Theatres'.<ref name="MNS" /><br />
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===Cinema===<br />
The 1950 film ''Stree'' directed by [[R. Velappan Nair]], the 1967 film ''Indulekha'' directed by Kalanilayam Krishnan Nair, the 1970 film ''[[Sabarimala Sree Dharmashastha]]'' directed by [[M. Krishnan Nair (director)|M. Krishnan Nair]], the 1973 films ''Raging'' directed by [[N. N. Pisharody]], and ''Veendum Prabhatham'' directed by [[P. Bhaskaran]], the 1981 films ''Sreeman Sreemathi'', ''Poocha Sanyasi'' and ''Valarthumrigangal'' directed by [[Hariharan (director)|T. Hariharan]], ''Chatta'' directed by [[Bharathan]], and ''Kattukallan'' directed by [[P. Chandrakumar]], the 1982 films ''Varikuzhi'' directed by [[M. T. Vasudevan Nair]], ''Oru Mottu Virinjapol'' directed by G. P. Balan, ''Balloon'' directed by Ravi Guptan, the 1983 films ''Thavalam'' directed by [[Thampi Kannanthanam]], and ''Varanmare Avashyamund'' directed by T. Hariharan, the 1986 film ''Kochuthemmadi'' directed by [[A. Vincent]], and the 1991 [[Sibi Malayil]] film ''[[Santhwanam]]'' are the Malayalam films in which Aravindaksha Menon acted.<ref name="M3DB">{{cite web |title=വി ടി അരവിന്ദാക്ഷമേനോൻ |url=https://m3db.com/v-t-aravindaksha-menon |website=M3DB |language=en |access-date=2025-07-14 |archive-date=2024-11-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241104210547/https://m3db.com/v-t-aravindaksha-menon |url-status=live }}</ref><br />
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===Singing===<br />
The film songs sung by Aravindaksha Menon are the two songs from the 1970 film ''[[Sabarimala Sree Dharmashastha]]'', starting with "Ellam Ellam", written by [[P. Bhaskaran]] and composed by [[V. Dakshinamoorthy]], and starting with "Tripura Sundari Natanam", written by [[Sreekumaran Thampi]] and composed by V. Dakshinamoorthy.<ref name="M3DB"/><br />
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==Awards and honors==<br />
For the title character he played in the play ''Kayamkulam Kochunni'', Aravindaksha Menon received the National Drama Award for Best Actor in 1965.<ref name="mediaone" /> In the same year he received [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] for theatre from [[Sangeet Natak Akademi]], Government of India.<ref name="SNA" /> He received the [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship]] for drama in 1993.<ref>{{Cite web |title=KERALA SANGEETHA NATAKA AKADEMI FELLOWSHIP LIST |url=https://keralasangeethanatakaakademi.in/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Fellowship-Award-list-KSNA.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240811031756/https://keralasangeethanatakaakademi.in/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Fellowship-Award-list-KSNA.pdf |archive-date=2024-08-11 |access-date=2025-07-14 |website=keralasangeethanatakaakademi.in |publisher=[[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi]]}}</ref><br />
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==References==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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==External links==<br />
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20211209170843/http://www.kalanilayamstagecraft.in/ Photograph of Aravindaksha Menon receiving the National Theatre Award of 1965, from the then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi].<br />
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{{Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Winners of Kerala}}<br />
{{Authority control}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Aravindaksha Menon, V. T.}}<br />
[[Category:1921 births]]<br />
[[Category:1994 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:Malayali people]]<br />
[[Category:Indian stage actors]]<br />
[[Category:Male actors in Malayalam cinema]]<br />
[[Category:Indian male film actors]]<br />
[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]]<br />
[[Category:Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship]]</div>Md Nazmul Hasan Niaz