Innocent (actor)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Innocent

• Innocent was an Indian actor, writer, and politician who predominantly worked in the Malayalam film industry. He was known for playing comedic roles in various Malayalam films like Ramji Rao Speaking (1989), Kilukkam (1991), and Devasuram (1993). Besides Malayalam, he also worked in Hindi, English, Tamil, and Kannada films. He was elected as the MP from Chalakudy in 2014. He served as the president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) from 2003 to 2018. He died of multi-organ failure and a heart attack on 26 March 2023 in Kochi, Kerala.

• He was born into a Catholic family from Irinjalakuda, where he grew up with seven siblings.

• He took to the stage for the first time when he was in Class 1, studying at Little Flower Convent High School, Irinjalakuda. He recalled the same in an interview and said,
  

  I wore a small towel and there was makeup on my face…I played the drums.”

• Growing up, he actively participated in several skits at school. A popular student at school, he would often mimic people to make his friends laugh. He joined a cultural organisation, which staged plays when he was in class 6. His parents did not approve of his participation in the plays of the cultural organisation as its rehearsal began at 10 pm, leading to Innocent returning home late in the night, around 2 am. Also, the rehearsals were held at some distance from the house. While recalling the same in an interview, he said,
  

  When I got up in the morning, I would hear statements like: ‘At what time did he come? Who knows? He had not come in till 1 am. In a family of eight children, there will always be one bad apple. Nothing can be done about it.”

  Furthermore, his poor academic performance fueled the anger of his parents. He failed in Classes 6, 7, and 8. In an interview, he said,

  While classmates of mine were doing their MA, I was still at school.”

• As a child, he had a voracious appetite for reading and Vallathol Narayana Menon was his favourite poet.

• He moved to Madras (now Chennai) in 1969, seeking an opportunity to work in films. Although he started getting minor roles after his debut film, Nrithasala, his meagre earnings led him to return to Irinjalakuda in 1971.

• During his struggling days, he tried running a match-box manufacturing factory in Davangere, established a leather business in 1974, and then tried his hands at a cycle renting business to make a living, but all of them were unsuccessful.

  

• His friends urged him to contest the 1979 municipal elections in Irinjalakuda, which he won as an independent candidate. However, his passion for acting led him to continue trying his luck in showbiz.

• Innocent pledged his wife’s gold ornaments to finance the film Vida Parayum Munpe (1981).

• He gained recognition with the Malayalam film Ilakkangal (1982) in which he played the role of Devassikutty. The film was written by Malayalam storywriter M Raghavan.

• While he struggled to make ends meet, his family lived in a quaint one-room house. During those days, he would often sleep on a mat, like many others struggling artists, on the floor of Uma Lodge in Kodambakkam. Sometimes, he even took his wife and son there so that he could spend some time with them.

• He was immensely appreciated for his comedic acting in the film Avidathe Pole Ivideyum (1985) in which he played the role of an obsessed businessman who enquires a man about the death of his mother. However, when the man narrates the incident, Innocent’s character shows a complete lack of interest. Despite the film’s failure at the box office, it gave a boost to Innocent’s career.

• He came into the limelight with the 1989 Malayalam comedy film Ramji Rao Speaking in which he played the role of Mannar Mathai, the owner of Urvasi Theatre. The film was a commercial hit in Malayalam cinema.

  

• His unique Thrissur dialect and trademark mannerisms became popular among the Malayalam audience.

• Apart from comedic roles, he also played negative roles in various Malayalam films like Mazhavilkavadi (1989), Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu (1988), and Ganamela (1991).

• Some of his notable Malayalam films include Kathodu Kathoram (1985), Nadodikattu (1987), Kilukkam (1991), Godfather (1991), Vietnam Colony (1992), and Devaasuram (1993).

• In 1998, he appeared as Colonel Vincent in the Bollywood film Doli Saja Ke Rakhna, starring Akshaye Khanna and Jyothika.
  

• He starred in the Tamil films Lesa Lesa (2003) and Naan Avalai Sandhitha Pothu (2019).

• He starred in the bilingual English and Malayalam film Nothing but Life (2004) in which he played the role of Professor Ponnachan PhD.

• In the 2006 Hindi comedy film Malamaal Weekly, Innocent played the role of a drunkard named Anthony, who dies of happiness after winning a lottery.

  

• He played the role of Labrador bhai in the Telugu film Swagatam (2008)

• In 2012, he played the role of Sitharam Setu in the bilingual Kannada and Malayalam film Shikari.

• Innocent penned five books, Njan Innocent, Cancer Wardile Chiri, Irinjalakudakku Chuttum, Mazha Kannadi and Chirrikku Pinnil. While Cancer Wardile Chiri (Laughter in the Cancer Ward) narrates his experience as a cancer patient, Mazha Kannadi is a collection of short stories, and Chirrikku Pinnil is his autobiography.
  

• In 2013, Innocent was diagnosed with throat cancer, and his wife, Alice, was diagnosed with breast cancer.

• In 2020, his book Irinjalakudakku Chuttum was awarded the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Humour.

• He was given writing credits for the Malayalam films Pavam I.A. Ivachan (1994) and Keerthanam (1995).

• He held the post of president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) from 2003 to 2018; he stepped down from the post citing his busy schedule and his deteriorating health. Besides acting, Innocent co-produced various Malayalam films Ormakkai (1982) and Lekhayude Maranam Oru Flashback (1983). As a playback singer, Innocent lent his voice to various Malayalam songs like Aanachandam from Gajakesariyogam (1990), Kandallo from Sandram (1990), Kunukupenmaniye from Mr Butler (2000), Onnam Malakeri from Kalyanaraman (2002), and Sundarakeralam from Doctor Innocentanu (2012).

• His grandson is named Innocent after him.

• Once, during his tenure as an MP, Innocent asked Vijay Mallya to get him three cups of coffee in the parliament as he confused him for a Coffee Board waiter, owing to Mallya’s white and black outfit, similar to those worn by the waiters.

Malayalam actor Innocent as Kittunni in the film Kilukkam (1991)