Shanker Ramakrishnan

Biography:

Shanker Ramakrishnan is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, and actor predominantly working in Malayalam cinema. A Law graduate from Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram, he embarked on his career after completing his post-graduate studies at the School of Management Studies, CUSAT.

His notable directorial debut came with the film segment Island Express in the anthology Kerala Café, which garnered critical acclaim. Actor Prithviraj, who portrayed the character Leon in the film, invited Shanker to write for August Cinema’s first project, Urumi, a historical drama directed and filmed by Santosh Sivan. Starring Prithviraj and Genelia, Urumi marked a significant milestone in Shanker’s creative journey, broadening his artistic opportunities.

National Award-winning director V. K. Prakash later approached Shanker to write the Malayalam adaptation of the Hindi film Freaky Chakra. Titled Netholi Oru Cheriya Meen Alla, this experimental postmodern film featured Fahadh Faasil and Kamalinee Mukherjee in lead roles.

Shanker’s acting career took an unexpected turn when director Ranjith cast him as Alexey Thadeus, a free-spirited cancer patient, in Spirit. This role earned him the SIIMA Award for Best Male Debutant, along with other accolades. He went on to act in films such as Poppins, Bavuttiyude Namathil, Seconds, Love 24X7, and How Old Are You.

Taking a break from acting, Shanker began work on the ambitious historical project Kunjali Marikkar IV, originally scripted by T. P. Rajeevan, though the film’s release was postponed. He also completed the screenplay for My Story, starring Prithviraj and Parvathy.

In 2017, Shanker announced his directorial feature Pathinettam Padi, produced by August Cinema. The casting call, hosted by Nivin Pauly, became a viral sensation, and the film’s title art was unveiled by Mohanlal on October 2, 2017.