Google Doodle remembers Malayalam cinema’s first leading actress PK Rosy

Google dedicated a doodle to Malayalam cinema’s first leading female actor PK Rosie on her 120th birthday. A page dedicated to him on Google mentions that he was born on February 10, 1903 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

PK Rosie’s real name was Rajamma. She broke barriers with her performance in the Malayalam film Vigathakumaran (The Lost Child) at a time when performing arts were discouraged in many sectors of society, especially for women, according to Google.

According to IMDb, when the film was screened at the Capital Cinema in Thiruvananthapuram, the crowd went berserk that a Dalit woman portrayed the character of a Nair woman.

She is said to have married Kesava Pillai, a truck driver, and moved to Tamil Nadu, where she used the name “Rajammal”.

Years after he stopped acting, his contribution to Malayalam cinema and society came to the fore. “Thank you, PK Rosie, for your courage and the legacy you have left behind,” the search engine wrote in his honour.

The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) had said in 2019 that a film society would be formed in the name of PK Rosie. “Our logo is a visually appealing rose and has been designed by Mumbai-based designer Zoya Riyas.

P.K. Rosie Film Society is an attempt on our part to establish a viewing space for cinema, which has often been an all-male space. Curated and moderated by an all ciswomen/transwomen panel, we aim to showcase, discuss and celebrate women filmmakers, women film professionals and feminist cinema aesthetics.”