List of Famous people born in Kerala, India

Fr. Joseph Vadakkan was a Christian activist priest of Kerala in India, and the founder of the political party known as Karshaka Thozhilali Party (KTP). Vadakkan organised many agitations and took part in protest marches, satyagrahas, and rallies. He was also arrested and jailed. He was reprimanded by his own Church.

Lijo Jose Pellissery is an Indian film director and actor who predominantly works in Malayalam Cinema. Known for his unconventional approach in directing, his films are characterized by nonlinear storylines, aestheticization of violence, extended scenes of dialogue and very long takes. He is a recipient of the Best Director Award at the 48th Kerala State Film Awards for Ee.Ma.Yau, Best Director Award at the 50th Kerala State Film Awards for Jallikattu, Best Film Award at the 44th Kerala Film Critics Association Awards for Jallikattu and twice recipient of Silver Peacock for the Best Director at the 49th International Film Festival of India and 50th International Film Festival of India for his films Ee.Ma.Yau and Jallikattu respectively. He also received the Silver Crow Pheasant Award at the International Film Festival of Kerala 2018. He is widely considered to be one of the most important and influential filmmakers of Indian Cinema.

Riyaz Khan is an Indian actor and bodybuilder who predominantly works in Malayalam and Tamil films and television series, besides acting in a few Telugu-language and Kannada films, as well as two Hindi films and two Bengali films. He debuted in the Malayalam film Sugham Sughakaram, directed by Balachandra Menon. Later, he went on to act in Tamil and Telugu films. After many years, he came back to the Malayalam film industry acting in Balettan, starring Mohanlal.

Jeethu Joseph is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. He has also worked in a few Tamil and Bollywood films. Jeethu made his directional debut with the 2007 police procedural film Detective and later went on to direct five successful films: the family drama Mummy & Me (2010), the comedy My Boss (2012), the thriller Memories (2013), the family-thriller Drishyam (2013), the revenge-drama Oozham (2016) and the action-thriller Aadhi (2018). Jeethu gained popularity after the release of Drishyam, which became the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever, it was the first Malayalam film to cross ₹50 crore mark at the box office. Jeethu made his Tamil debut with Papanasam (2015) and Hindi with The Body.

Priya Raman is an Born: Indian actress and film producer. She has appeared in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada cinema and in television serials of both languages. Her first film was the Rajnikanth-produced film Valli, in 1993. Her second film. Arthana, directed by I. V. Sasi and released in 1993 was her debut in Malayalam.

Shelley Mathew Malil is a former actor. Malil emigrated to the United States in 1974. He appeared in a number of television shows and films, including The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005).

Divyaa Unni is a former Indian film actress and classical dancer who teaches various forms of dance such as Bharathanatyam, Kuchipudi and Mohiniyattom. She is also an actress who has appeared in over 50 films predominantly in Mollywood film industry and other languages also.

Jeet Thayil is an Indian poet, novelist, librettist and musician. He is best known as a poet and is the author of four collections: These Errors Are Correct, English, Apocalypso and Gemini. His first novel, Narcopolis,, which won the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, was also shortlisted for the 2012 Man Booker Prize and The Hindu Literary Prize.

Krishna Kumar Menon, better known by the stage name Kay Kay Menon, is an Indian film, stage and television actor who works predominantly in Hindi cinema, and also in Gujarati, Tamil, Marathi and Telugu cinema.

Raja Ravi verma was a celebrated Indian painter and artist. He is considered among the greatest painters in the history of Indian art. His works are one of the best examples of the fusion of European academic art with a purely Indian sensibility and iconography. Additionally, he was notable for making affordable lithographs of his paintings available to the public, which greatly enhanced his reach and influence as a painter and public figure. His lithographs increased the involvement of common people with fine arts and defined artistic tastes among common people. Furthermore, his religious depictions of Hindu deities and works from Indian epic poetry and Puranas have received profound acclaim.