Edappal Ponnamkuzhi Veettil Sukumaran Nair, popularly known as Sukumaran, was an Indian film actor and producer. Sukumaran became a popular film star in Malayalam cinema during the 1970s. He was considered as one of the superstar trio of Malayalam cinema during the late 1970s and early 1980s along with M. G. Soman and Jayan. Later, he became known for his character roles and antagonistic roles during the 1980s and 1990s. In 1978, he won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in M. T. Vasudevan Nair's Bandhanam. As a producer, he produced such films as Irakal and Padayani. In June 1997, Sukumaran suffered a massive heart attack and died. He was 49. Sukumaran married actress Mallika Sukumaran on 17 October 1978.[6 They have two sons, both Malayalam film stars in their own right: Indrajith Sukumaran and Prithviraj Sukumaran. Actress Poornima Mohan is his (posthumous) daughter-in-law.