Punnapra Appachan: Alappuzha native who acted in 1000 films is no more

Actor Punnapra Appachan, who was a regular presence in films produced by Udaya Pictures since the 1960s, passed away in Alappuzha on Monday. He was 77. Appachan has acted in 1000 films over the gap of six decades. He was last seen in director Vinayan’s film ‘Chalakkudikaran Changathi’, where he played a minor character. ‘Pinneyum’ featuring Dileep and Kavya Madhavan and directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan was also one of his final movies.

The actor made his debut as an actor in the Satyan-starrer ‘Othenente Makan’, where he played a soldier in the movie. He later went on to act in several movies starring Satyan, while also being part of movies featuring Nazir, Kottarakkara Sreedharan, SP Pillai among others. He played prominent roles in 'The King' and 'Anubhavangal Paalichakal'.

Appachan also acted alongside Bollywood star Dileep Kumar in ‘Duniya’, where he played a sub-inspector who arrests Dileep’s character Mohan Kumar, framed for murder. The shooting of the film took place in Ernakulam. Speaking during a TV programme aired by Amrita TV, Appachan recalled how he received Rs 33,000 as a paycheck for his work in the film, which released in the 1980s.

The Malayalam film actor also played a role in Tamil in Vijay’s film ‘Sura’. In another interview, Appachan said he did not receive much remuneration from most of the films he acted in but it was his passion for cinema that kept him in the industry for long. He also worked as an LIC agent.

Director Vinayan, in a heartfelt post on social media, remembered how the actor donned various roles in films over the decades. “I knew him long before he joined cinema. I met him once at Udaya Pictures studio. He was someone who kept his love cinema till his dying breath. Adieu,” he wrote.