P K Rosy

An eminent lawyer of the time, Malloor Govinda Pillai (Forward Caste Nair), had come to inaugurate the film. “He said that I will not inaugurate this film until she (Rosy) is removed from here,” So Daniel asked her to watch the next show of the film instead.” Born and raised as Rajamma in a Pulaya family, she developed an early interest in acting and began performing in local plays with the support of her uncle. In 1928, she was selected for the lead role in J. Daniel's debut film Vigathakumaran, in which she portrayed Sarojini, an upper-caste Nair woman. When the film premiered at the Capitol Theatre in Trivendrum, the upper-caste members of the audience expressed strong opposition to a Dalit portraying a Nair and a scene where the hero kisses a flower from her hair. The incident turned into violence, resulting in damage to the theatre and the arson of Rosy's house by a mob. Rosy was forced to leave the town and moving to Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu with a truck driver, where she changed her name to Rajammal. Her real name was probably Rajamma, but she has also been referred to by the name Rosamma. Neither Rosy nor Daniel were recognised for the part they played in the development of Malayalam cinema for many decades, until the Kerala government instituted the J. Daniel Award in 1992. Official recognition for Rosy only came in 2015, with the establishment of the P.K. Rosy Smaraka Samithi (P.K. Rosy Memorial Committee). At least one book and several films have been dedicated to honouring her legacy. On 10 February 2023, Rosy was honoured with a Google Doodle, on the occasion of her 120th birthday.

• Name — Poulose Kunji Rosy • Born — 10 February 1903 • Birthplace — Thycaud, Trivandrum • Died — 1988 • Occupation — Actor • Children — 2 • Years Active — 1928–1930

P. Kunji Rosy was born as Rajamma on 10 February 1903 at Trivandrum (now Thiruvananthapuram), in the then kingdom of Travancore (now the Indian state of Kerala), to a Pulaya family of grass cutters. Pulaya people were considered one of the lowest castes, and treated as slaves at that time, sold off with land and given harsh punishments for any transgressions. While some sources suggest that she was Christian, her family refutes this. Her mother’s name was Kunji, her sisters were Chellamma and Sarojini, and her brother was called Govindan – all traditional Hindu names. There is some debate about Rosy's father, her religion, and the origin of her various names. Her father's name has been cited as both Naanan and Poulouse. Rosy is often represented as a Dalit Christian woman named Rosamma. However, according to journalist Kunnukuzhi Mani, who spoke to Rosy's family, her real name was Rajamma, and her family was Hindu. He says it was J. C. Daniel who changed her name to Rosy for his film. According to Mani, her father converted to Christianity when working for the London Missionary Society (LMS) in order for his daughter to be able to study at the church school, but the rest of the family continued to live as Hindus. Kiran Ravindran, who made the documentary The Lost Child, said that when her father converted to Christianity, his name became Paulose, and it is possible that he changed his daughter's name to Rosamma. Malayalam actor Madhu says that Rosy's father had died when she was young and that it was her stepfather who was Christian, and worked as a cook for the priests, and named her Rosamma, leading to her name change for the film. Madhu thinks that the whole family converted to Christianity, but for a short time only. Rosy's love for acting seems to have surpassed concerns she may have held for what some elements of society would call her. She was supported by her uncle, a performing artist.

Rosy married a Tamil truck driver called Keshava(n) Pillai, He was kicked out because he married her and they moved to Otapura Theruvu in Vadasery, Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, where she started using the name "Rajammal". "Ammal" is a Tamil suffix denoting respect, usually used by higher-caste women in Tamil Nadu. Rosy nor her husband ever disclosed her past to anyone. They had children who were born with an upper-caste identity, which does not allow them to accept their Dalit heritage. Their daughter Padma, contacted in 2013 by a Malayalam TV channel, knew nothing of Rosy's acting career or her life before marriage. The BBC tried to contact her siblings in 2025, but their relatives said that they were "not comfortable with the attention".

With her uncle's support, Rosy moved into the field of performing arts, and was a popular performer in local plays, although it was very unusual for a Dalit woman to work in this field. By 1928, Rosy was performing the dance drama based on Hindu mythology, Kakkirasi (Kaakarashy). Before she started performing in it, only men performed in it. The Kakkarasi drama troupe and Rajah Party Drama Troupe competed with each other for Rosamma, and this competition enhanced the star value of the actress Rosamma. She also acted in other Tamil lower-caste performances. After being spotted by the actor Johnson, who plays the villain in the film, After director JC Daniel's first choice of actress, Ms Lana from Mumbai, did not meet the requirements of the role, Rosy then stepped in to become the heroine of JC Daniel's silent film Vigathakumaran (The Lost Child), after his first prospective heroine proved unsuited for the role. She played the character of Sarojini, a Nair (upper-caste) woman, in the movie. She was paid five rupees a day, over the 10 days of filming, which was "a substantial amount of money" in those days. The premiere of Vigathakumaran took place at the Capitol Theatre in Thiruvananthapuram, which is variously cited as occurring on 7 November 1928 and (probably erroneously) 23 October 1930. The theatre, usually a venue for stage plays, was attended by Rosy and her family. Upper-caste members of the audience were upset that the Pulaya (a Dalit caste) people were in the audience at all, and when they realised that Rosy was an actress in the film, the audience became an angry mob and damaged the screen and the theatre. Members of the Nair community were outraged to see a Dalit woman portray a Nair, and more so secondly by a scene in which the hero picks a flower from her hair and kisses it, and threw rocks at the screen. Eventually, both Daniel and Rosy had to flee the cinema, and Rosy had to leave her home town after her house was set on fire. The film was later screened in Nagercoil, Kollam, Alappuzha, and other parts of Travancore, but Daniel was bankrupt, his career was ruined, and he never made another film.

In 2008, a novel about Rosy called Nashtanaika, by Vinu Abraham, was published in Malayalam. It was translated into English by film critic and writer C. S. Venkiteswaran and professor of English and translator Arathy Ashok, and published by Speaking Tiger Books in 2020 as The Lost Heroine. A documentary film about her life, Ithu Rosiyude Katha (This is Rosy's Story), directed by Kanjiramkulam Sanal, was released in 2011. The Lost Child is a one-hour documentary film about both Daniel and Rosy directed by Kiran Ravindran, released in 2012. Celluloid is a 2013 biopic about JC Daniel directed by Kamal. The film is partially based on Vinu Abraham's 2008 novel Nashtanaika, and also deals with the life of Rosy. Newcomer Chandni Geetha portrays her. P. K. Rosy, written and directed by Sasi Nadukkadu and starring Bheeman Raghu as himself, along with well-known Malayalam actors Madhu, Jayan Cherthala, Urmila Unni, and Sethu Lakshmi, was released in 2022. Swapnaayanam, directed by K. O. Akhil and starring Abhirami Bose as P. K. Rosy, is a narrative film that uses animation to show the development of Malayalam cinema, and honouring the role of Rosy. Its concluding scene "repositions Rosy as a cornerstone of Malayalam cinema's heritage". It was selected as the signature film of the 29th International Film Festival of Kerala in 2024.