Babu Narayanan

Babu Narayanan Biography

Babu Narayanan is a film director associated with Malayalam films. He is credited as Babu Narayanan for early movies, which he directed alone. Later he collaborated with P. Anil (actress Kalpana’s former husband) throughout his career, and has completed around three decades of collaboration. Babu, together with Anil has directed more than 20 films, and the duo is credited in films as Anil Babu. Babu joined film industry in the late 1980s, and has spent three decades in the industry. Pattabhishekam, Injakkadan Mathai & Sons, Sakshal Sreeman Chathunni, Sreedhanam, Mayilpeelikkavu etc are some of the major hits to their credit as ‘Anil Babu’.

Babu Narayanan was born to Narayana Pisharody and Devaki Pisharasiar in Kozhikode, Kerala. He is married to Jyothi. As a film director, he marked his debut with 1989 film, Anagha, followed by Ponnaranjaanam. Later he joined hands with Babu Narayanan for the movie, Manthrikacheppu, starring Jagadish, Siddique, Mala Aravindan, Sunitha and Suchitra, and the director’s name was credited as Anil babu. Ponnaramthottathe Raajaavu starring Jagadish and Urvashi in the lead roles was also released almost at the same time.

The duo is credited to giving the first full-fledged hero role to comedian Jagadish through 1992 film, Welcome to Kodaikanal. The directors have given many small budget commercial movies with small time actors who joined film industry in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Later they went on to become very successful; Jagadish, Siddique, Sunitha, Suchitra etc to mention a few. Jagadish was almost a fixture in most of their movies in the 1990s. The duo also worked with Jayaram and Urvasi in many movies.

The duo continued the success streak with 1990s formula with a series of comedy and action thriller movies and family dramas throughout the decade, and received success for movies such as Injakkadan Mathai & Sons, Sakshal Sreeman Chathunni, Ponnaramthottathe Raajaavu, Kudumba Vishesham, Sreedhanam, Achan Kombathu Amma Varampathu, Radholsavam, Harbour, Aramana Veedum Anjoorekkarum, Mannadiar Penninu Chenkotta Checkan, Mayilpeelikkavu, Pattabhishekam, Pakalppooram, Valkannadi, Njan Salperu Ramankutty, Climax (2013 film) etc.

Pattabhishekam remains the most successful and popular movie of the duo, released in the late 1990s. Though the duo is still active in the cine world, their films produced now are not so successful as those made in the 1990s.

Published: October 15, 2018

Updated: October 15, 2018