Best supporting actors currently in Mollywood

Mollywood was never short of realistic performers on screen, be it the lead actors or supporting characters, the industry has produced some unmatchable talents over the years. After losing out a crop of some senior supporting actors due to various reasons like Jagathy Sreekumar, Shankaradi, Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Sukumari, the void has been cemented by a new crop of talented actors. Here we look at some prominent supporting actors who are active in Mollywood currently.

An actor who has become a necessity in all hit movies in Mollywood, Alancier Lopez is an actor who could play realistic characters on screen with conviction and ease. Coming from the Kerala state capital Thiruvananthapuram, Alancier was passionate about theater and formed a children's troupe when he was studying in standard eight. After school, Alancier followed his dream and ended up associating with great theater groups like that of CP Krishnakumar's, Kavalam Narayanan Panicker's Sopnama and so on. The actor's performance was noted by acclaimed cinematographer and director Venu who gave Alancier a role in his debut directorial venture 'Daya'. Alancier then continued to get small, but performance oriented roles in experimental and parallel movies in Malayalam. It was his role in the classic 'Annayum Rasoolum', directed by Rajeev Ravi, that made Alancier noticed in mainstream Malayalam cinema. Soon after the actor was given vital supporting roles in many acclaimed movies like 'Maheshinte Prathikaram', 'Kammattipadam', 'Guppy' and many more. The actor has grown his stature to a level that he has become a vital ingredient for a successful movie.

This veteran theater actress, who has made her own name in Kerala's acclaimed theater groups, has now become a guaranteed supporting actress who can portray realistic roles. Hailing from Thiruvananthapuram, Sethu Lakshmi started her acting career through theatre performances. The actress won Kerala State Theater awards four times before becoming a prominent figure in mainstream Malayalam cinema. Sethu debuted in Mollywood through legendary director KG George's movie 'Ee Kanni Koodii' in 1990 but had to wait over a decade to make her presence in cinema again. On her return, Sethu Lakshmi was part of Mohanlal starrer 'Rasathantram', but, again Sethu had to wait few more years to be noted by directors. It took the role of Vattu Jayan's mother in the critically acclaimed movie 'Left Right Left' for Sethu Lakshmi to establish herself in the industry. She then got her career breakthrough through the hit movie 'How Old Are You' which had Manju Warrier in the lead.

There's not much to say about this great actor from Thiruvananthapuram, for those who have seen his performances in 'Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum' and 'Perariyathavar', for which he won the National Award for the Best Actor in 2013. The actor who started as a comedian and won the hearts of audience gradually was roped in for more serious role which eventually made him an actor of great mettle. His roles in 'Action Hero Biju', 'Spirit', 'Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum' shows his transformation into the characters he handles. Undoubtedly, Suraj has established himself as one of the most bankable actors to do serious supporting roles in Mollywood.

Lena has been a long-standing presence in Malayalam cinema, but got noticed as a powerful actress only recently. The actress who debuted through the movie 'Sneham', playing the role of actor Jayaram's sister, continued to get small roles in the industry for few years. Her breakthrough performance came through the hit movie 'Traffic' which released in 2011, in which she impressed with her performance as a worried mother. From then on Lena has played many strong supporting characters that have left an imprint on viewer's mind. Her performances in 'Left Right Left', 'Vikramadityan', 'Iyobinte Pusthakam', 'Ennu Ninte Moitheen'. She won the Kerala State Film award for the second best actress for the movie 'Left Right Left' in 2013.

A man who proved age is just a number to achieve greatness - Indrans, the actor hailing from Thiruvananthapuram is now regarded among the best character actors in Mollywood. It took more than 300 movies for this veteran actor to prove his mettle as an artist in the industry, and when he did, he rose to fame in no time. Winning this year's State Award for Best Actor for his performance in the movie 'Aalorukkam', Indrans has been part of some acclaimed movies recently. His transformation from a mere comedian was a gradual process as the actor always strived to better his performance with each outing on screen. Playing vital supporting characters in critically acclaimed movies like 'Munroe Thuruth', 'Ozhimuri', 'Leela', Indrans has emerged at this late age as a trustworthy performer for strong character roles.