Atlas Ramachandran, who was arrested in 2015 August in Dubai after his cheques bounced, began his tryst with cinema as producer of the film Vaishali.MM Ramachandran, aka 'Atlas' Ramachandran, needs no introduction to Malayalis worldwide. He famously modeled for his own jewelry group on television and he has acted in a handful of Malayalam movies.
Ramachandran’s life went through a tortuous course that resembled a movie script. At the heyday of his popularity, he was arrested in Dubai in connection with a bank loan default. He was sentenced to three years in prison. On Sunday, he was released, five months ahead of the term.
Ramachandran was no ordinary businessman. He was active in the art and cultural scene. His tryst with cinema commenced as a producer in 1988. Bharatan’s ‘Vaisali’ became one of the most memorable movies in Malayalam.
He also produced G Aravindan’s ‘Vasthuhara’, Sibi Malayil’s ‘Dhanam’ and Harikmar’s ‘Sukrutham’. He directed a movie named ‘Holidays’ in 2010. He distributed ‘Innale’, ‘Kauravar’, ‘Venkalam’ and ‘Chakoram’. He made his acting debut in ‘Youth Festival’ and went on to act in ‘Anandabhairavi’, ‘Arabikatha’, ‘Subhadram’, ‘Malabar Wedding’, ‘2 Harihar Nagar’, ‘Thathvamasi’, ‘Bombay Mithai’ and ‘Balyakalasakhi’.
His role as Kottu Nambiar in ‘Arabikatha’ was a memorable one. He acted as himself in the comical ‘2 Harihar Nagar’.
The man who entertained his audience in movies did not have a smooth sail in real life. He was arrested in 2015 August in Dubai after his cheques bounced.Many of his friends and well-wishers tried to bail him out but the liability of Rs 1,000 crore was more than they could handle.
Ramachandran was about to commit himself to another movie production when he landed in jail. He is sure to have many stories to share.
