Prathap Pothen was an actor, filmmaker and writer. He started his acting career with the Film Aaravam in 1978. His directorial debut was in 1998 through the Tamil film Meendum Oru Kaathal Kathai, which he also wrote and acted in. He has appeared in more than 100 films now and had directed 12 movies.
Prathap Pothen passed away on 15th July 2022 of natural causes while at his home in Chennai.
Prathap completed his primary education at Lawrence School, Lovedale, in Ooty. He completed B.A in Economics from Madras Christian College, Chennai in 1972.
At 32nd National Film Awards in 1985, he won 'Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director' for the film ‘Meendum Oru Kaathal Kathai’. He has won several other awards including Filmfare Award for Best Director, Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Malayalam, etc.
He was born to Kulathunkal Pothen and Ponnamma Pothen in Trivandrum. He has a brother, Hari Pothen who has produced many films. Prathap married actress Radhika in 1985 and later divorced in 1986. He later married Amala Sathyanath in 1990 and the couple has a daughter Keya born in 1991. Amala and Prathap got divorced in 2012 after 22 years of their relationship.
His wish was for his remains to serve as manure for a tree and hence his ashes are buried underneath a mango sapling planted by his daughter Keya.
