P. K. Rosy

Poulose Kunji Rosy (10 February 1903 – 1988), known as P. K. Rosy, was an Indian actress and the first woman to act in a Malayalam film. She starred in J. C. Daniel's silent film Vigathakumaran (The Lost Child), for which she was targeted at the 1928 premiere by an angry mob because of her lower-caste status.

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. C. 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. She never acted in another film, after marrying a Nair (upper-caste) man and moving to Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu, 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. C. 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). However, 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.