Noted Malayalam producer and businessman Achani Ravi aka K Ravindranath Nair passed away on Saturday. He breathed his last at his residence in Kollam at the age of 90. The last rites will reportedly take place in his hometown. Achani Ravi was known as the visionary of new wave films in Malayalam cinema.
He is survived by his children, Pratap Nair, Prakash Nair, and Preeta Nair. Reportedly, his wife Usha Rani, who was a renowned singer, died in 2013.
Achani Ravi’s illustrious career
Achani Ravi began his career in the film industry as a producer and established a banner named General Pictures during the 1970s to 1980s. With his banner, he bankrolled several well-acclaimed movies in Malayalam. In fact, he earned the moniker Achani after his groundbreaking film, Achani, which was released in 1973.
Another biggest achievement of Achani Ravi’s career was his film Thampu was recently restored and showcased at the Cannes film festival in 2022. It was directed by the late filmmaker G. Aravindan and produced by him.
Some of his notable produced films are Kanchana Sita, Thampu, Kummatty, Esthappan, Pokkuveyil, Elippathayam, Manju, Mukhamukham, Anantaram and Vidheyan. He was honored with 20 National Awards for his films in his illustrious career. He was also a recipient of the JC Daniel Award and Kerala State Film Award for his contribution to the Malayalam film industry.
Famous cashew business in Kerala
Achani Ravi was born into a wealthy industrialist family in Kollam and took over his father’s cashew family business. His business Vijayalakshmi Cashew is known as the finest and high-quality cashew industry in Kerala. Apart from being a producer and businessman, he was also a philanthropist. The late veteran reportedly built a public library in Kollam and was also its honorary secretary.
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