Maheshwari Amma, better known by her stage nameK. P. A. C. Lalitha, is an Indian film and stage actress who works primarily in Malayalam theatre and Malayalam cinema. In a career spanning five decades, she has starred in over 550 films. She is the current chairperson of the Kerala Sangeetha Nadaka Academy. She was married to the late Malayalam filmmaker Bharathan.
Early life
K. P. A. C. Lalitha was born as eldest among five children as Maheshwari Amma in 1947 in Aranmula, Pathanamthitta, Kerala to Kadaykatharayil Veettil K. Ananthan Nair and Bhargavi Amma. She has four siblings: Indira, Babu, Rajan and Shyamala. Her father was a photographer who was from Kayamkulam and mother was a housewife who was from Aranmula. She spent most of her childhood at Ramapuram near Kayamkulam, Alappuzha. Her family migrated to Changanassery, Kotttayam for her to join dance class. She learned to dance when she was a child under the guidance of Chellappan Pillai and then under Kalamandalam Gangadharan. She started acting in plays when she was 10 years old. Her first appearance on stage was in the playGeethayude Bali. She later joined K.P.A.C., which was a prominent leftist drama troupe in Kerala. She was given the screen-name Lalitha and later, when she started acting in movies, the tag K.P.A.C. was added to her screen-name to differentiate it from another actress known as Lalitha.
Personal life
Lalitha has a daughter Sreekutty and a son Sidharth who debuted as an actor in the movie Nammal, which was directed by Kamal. After a short career in acting, he chose a career in film direction. In 2012, he made his directorial debut with Nidra, which is the remake of 1984 film with the same title written and directed by his father Bharathan.. Now Sidharth Bharathan is scaling to heights with good movies; Chandrettan Evideya and Varnyathil Aashanka are running well. Lalitha published an autobiography, titled Katha Thudarum, which won the Cherukad Award in 2013. In 1998, when Bharathan died, she took a break for a few months, only to come back with a brilliant performance in Sathyan Anthikkad directed Veendum Chila Veetukaryangal. K.P.A.C. Lalitha's notable roles in recent years were in Shantham, Life Is Beautiful and Valkannadi. She won her second National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Shantham, directed by Jayaraj. She still appears in films. K.P.A.C. Lalitha has acted in over 500 films in Malayalam cinema. Apart from Malayalam, she has acted in some Tamil films including Kadhalukku Mariyadhai, Maniratnam's Alaipayuthey and Kaatru Veliyidai. Particularly, her performance in Tamil film Kadhalukku Mariyadhai as Shalini's mother won her critical acclaim.
Acting career
Her first movie was the film adaptation of Koottukudumbam directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan. In 1978 she married Bharathan, a noted Malayalam film director. She took a break from film acting for sometime, doing only a few films. The second era of her career started with Kattathe Kilikkoodu directed by her husband. Her pairing with Innocent was hugely popular with the audience between 1986 and 2006 with successful films like Gajakesariyogam, Apporvam Chillar, Makkal Mahatmiyam, Shubha Yatra, My Dear Muthachan, Kannanum Polisum, Arjunan Pillaiyum Anju Makkalum, Injankaddai Mathan and Sons, Pavam Pavam Rajakumaram. During this time, she did many critically acclaimed roles including those in Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam, Ponn Muttyidunna Tharavu, Mukunthetta Sumitra Vilikkunnu, Vadakku Nooki Yanthram, Dasharatham, Venkalam, Godfather, Amaram, Vietnam Colony, Pavithram, Manichitrathazhu, Sphadikam, and Aniyathi Pravu. She won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Amaram, a film directed by her husband Bharathan.
