Thoppil Anto Biography 
Thoppil Anto is a theatre artist and playback singer from the state of Kerala. He is a recipient of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy award for light music (1982) and many other honours. He has been a light music artist with the All-India Radio Thrissur in the 1960s. He has excelled as a singer as well as stage artist, and has composed music also. He composed music for plays apart from devotional albums in Hinduism and Christianity and also folk music. He rendered his voice for a few Malayalam movies, though a few. Thoppil Anto is best known as a theatre persona and has sung for more than 1000 plays belonging to different troupes of Kerala.
Thoppil Anto was born as Antony in 1940 in Edapally, Kochi. His father Thoppil Kunjappu was a Chavittu Nadakam artist. His mother’s name is Eliyamma. He has two siblings. Since young he has been associated with theatre field and worked with different troupes over the years. He has been a member of legendary artist N. N. Pillai’s theatre group, Nadaka Theater where he worked as a playback singer. He also worked with troupes such as Vishwa Keralakalasammithi, Kottayam, Peaple's Theater, Kayamkulam and Cochin Samgamithra.
He composed music for the play Kalaapam in 1998. He has been a seasonal artist with film industry and has sung for movies such as Father Damien, Anubhavangale Nandi, Sneham Oru Pravaham and Veenapoovu, predominantly in the 1970s. He is a recipient of Pravasi Pranava Dhwani Puraskar (2010) and the Changampuzha Samskarika Kendram award and many more honours. He also owned a music troupe, Cochin Bandor Orchestra which performed in Kerala and abroad. His granddaughter Rachel J Amirtharaj is a costume designer.
Published: February 27, 2019
Updated: February 27, 2019
