Onam 2023: Raftaar, Malaika Arora, Samantha; artists you didn't know have Kerala origins

Team OTTplay

August 28, 2023

Benny Dayal

Benny Dayal, who has crooned chartbuster Bollywood songs, hails from Kollam in Kerala. The ace singer was born in Abu Dhabi.

John Abraham

John Abraham is half Malayali, as his father is a Malayali Syrian Christian hailing from Kerala. The handsome hunk is Parsi from his mother's side.

Kay Kay Menon

Kay Kay's full name is Krishna Kumar, and the talented actor hails from the Kerala state capital, Thiruvananthapuram.

KK

One of the most loved singers in India, KK, aka Krishnakumar Kunnath, was a Malayalam who was born and brought up in New Delhi.

M. Night Shyamalan

The ace Hollywood filmmaker of The Sixth Sense fame was born Manoj Nelliyattu to a Malayali father and Tamilian mother in Mahe, Pondicherry.

Malaika Arora

The Arora sisters, Malaika and Amrita, were born to a Punjabi father and a Malayali Christian mother, Joyce Arora.

Raftaar

Yes, it came as a shock to many to know that rapper Raftaar is actually a Malayali, and his actual name is Dilin Nair.

Remo D'Souza

For the uninitiated, the choreographer-filmmaker's real name is Ramesh Gopi Nair, and he is from Palakkad, Kerala.

Samantha Ruth Prabhu

Samanatha Ruth Prabhu's mother, Ninette Prabhu, is a Malayali; however, the actor has been brought up in Chennai and primarily works in Telugu films.

Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan is from the Tam-Brahm community, hailing from Palakkad, Kerala. However, her mother tongue is Tamil.