‘Entertainment for them was drugs and ladies, which explains the popularity...’: Actress Charmila

Actress Charmila, once a leading star in Malayalam cinema, has opened up about her early reluctance to join the industry, saying its reputation in the 1980s and 1990s was overshadowed by a wave of B-grade films.

In a recent interview with Aagayam Tamil, the actress recalled how her parents discouraged her from accepting Malayalam film offers at the start of her career. “Back then, Malayalam cinema was thought to produce only B-grade films, and that was why my parents were reluctant,” she said. “When the first offers came, I was scared. I refused to act even when well-known directors approached me.”

According to Charmila, the stigma was fuelled by the kind of films that dominated theatres outside Kerala. “When people talked about Malayalam films, what came to mind were A-certificate movies and their posters. Entertainment for them were drugs and ladies, which explains why such films were popular at the time,” she said.

Her breakthrough came only after producer K Balaji persuaded her family. Balaji, whose son-in-law happened to be superstar Mohanlal, assured them that not all Malayalam cinema was of the B-grade variety and that major actors like Mohanlal and Mammootty worked only in quality films. Charmila went on to star opposite Mohanlal in her debut Malayalam project, marking the beginning of a career that would later be defined by classics.

Though born in Tamil Nadu, Charmila won over Malayalam audiences with her performance as the village girl Thankam in ‘Dhanam’. She later appeared in films such as ‘Uncle Bun’, ‘Keli’, ‘Priyapetta Kukku’ and ‘Kabooliwala’, working with stars including Mohanlal, Jayaram and Vineeth.

Reflecting on the industry of that period, Charmila noted that actors who had worked in B-grade cinema belonged to a “completely different category.” “The hotels they stayed in were not the same as ours,” she said, adding that many of them later left the profession, some moving abroad after marriage or switching to glamorous roles in other languages.

Despite the controversies surrounding Malayalam cinema at the time, Charmila’s movies are now regarded as part of its golden era. She remains active in Tamil cinema, though her most acclaimed films remain her Malayalam outings. Her personal life, including her past relationships with actor Babu Antony and actor-host Kishore Satya, whom she later divorced, once drew as much attention as her screen career.