Kerala village postman who made it to the silver screen

It came as a fine surprise to the villagers of Chandanathope located in Kollam district of Kerala when they realised that their local postman, Manikandan, don the hat of a cine artist too. Manikandan has been carrying letters for nearly two decades now. Fulfilling duties at his regular day job and braving several odds in life, the postman managed to make his dreams come true.

Kollam: Meet Manikandan, the postman of Chandathope village located in Kollam District of Kerala and a passionate theatre artist.

Manikandan who hails from Uliyakovil in Kollam has been serving at the post office of Chandanathope for the past 20 years. But his career and life are not merely confined to the world of inland letters, postcards and stamped envelopes. In his own time, he finds time to appreciate great stories, drama and cinema. He developed a passion for theatre arts during his childhood days. Over the years, Manikandan who is also a big fan of actor Sreenivasan honed his performing skills.

Just like many others who dreamt of making it to the big screen, Manikandan spent years seeking an opportunity to enter a professional drama troupe. As a matter of fact, the official nature of his day job stopped him taking up such opportunities.

However, Manikandan did not think twice before agreeing to play a role in director Vidhu Vincent's feature film debut 'Manhole' that was released in 2016. His role in the movie came out as a fine surprise to his fellow villagers who before then had not noticed their local postman's acting skills.

The setbacks that Manikandan faced in life and career did not dampen his spirit. He has also managed to write a collection of short stories which, unfortunately, is yet to be published. But people who have read his work heap praise on his effective storytelling talents, reinforcing his determination to get published soon.

Manikandan also played smaller roles in Vidhu Vincent’s docu-fictions titled Vimochanathinte Pattukar and Veliyam Communisathinde Velicham.

Manikandan’s latest release was Carte Blanche, a short film directed by Arya Krishnan, who was an assistant to late film director Lenin Rajendran. Manikandan played solo in the short film which was presented as a silent movie. Carte Blanche won numerous accolades at International Film festivals

While Manikandan’s family and friends support his unflinching passion for theatre and cinema, he continues to play his real-life role as a postman at Chandanathope post office.