Malayalam actress who won the National Award at 15, acted with Mohanlal in notable films, died after a tragic accident at 21: ‘Driver may have dozed off’

Her performance was so impactful that some of the most celebrated filmmaking legends in Malayalam cinema began making a beeline for her. Besides working with Prathap Pothen in the MT-written Rithubhedam, she also collaborated with Joshiy in Sayam Sandhya the same year. When Nakhakshathangal was remade into Tamil the next year as Pookkal Vidum Thudhu, the makers couldn’t imagine anyone but Monisha to reprise her role. She also played the female lead in cinema doyen Singeetham Srinivasa Rao’s Kannada romantic drama Chiranjeevi Sudhakar.

MT Vasudevan Nair was so impressed by her that he cast her in exceptional roles in a couple of his movies, such as Perumthachan (1990), Venal Kinavukal (1991), and Kadavu (1991). She also worked with Mohanlal in three notable films — Priyadarshan’s Aryan (1988), K Madhu’s Adhipan (1989), and Sibi Malayil’s Kamaladalam (1992) — delivering performances that garnered as much praise and attention as those of the Malayalam superstar himself. From Kuruppinte Kanakku Pustakom, Unna Nenachen Pattu Padichen, Thalastaanam, and Oru Kochu Bhoomikulukkam to Kudumbasametham, Champakulam Thachan, and Moondravadhu Kann, she never failed to entice audiences with her performances.

Best Actress Monisha with Best Supporting Actor Suresh Oberoi, and Best Child Artist Aniket Sengupta at the 34th National Film Awards. (Express archive photo)

Much like her mother, Monisha was also a talented dancer. “From a young age, Monisha was a talented dancer and singer. She also participated in sports, making her an all-rounder. Her Bharatanatyam debut was at the age of 9. From age 10, she performed on numerous stages. She was called for Nakhakshathangal when she was in seventh grade,” Sreedevi shared during an interview with SCREEN in 2017. She continued, “It was I who wanted her to be an actor more than she did. After doing two or three films, she started to like acting. However, she didn’t have a blind craze for it. She wanted to be behind the camera. She would say, ‘I’ll act for a little longer, make some money, and then I’ll be behind the camera.’ In those days, no one wished to be behind the camera, but Monisha was different. She was a child with a good sense of framing.”

She had only just begun, full of promise and potential to reach great heights, when a tragic incident cut all her aspirations short. Monisha was killed in a road accident that occurred near Cherthala in Alappuzha district on December 5, 1992. She was working on the Malayalam film Cheppadividya at that time. Recalling the fateful day, her mother Sreedevi shared during a conversation with Onmanorama once, “We were going from Thiruvananthapuram to take a morning flight. The road was clear. However, I noticed that the headlight of oncoming vehicles was falling on our driver’s face. I kept talking to him so that he wouldn’t feel sleepy. My daughter was sleeping in the backseat.”

Monisha with Mohanlal, director Sibi Malayil and cinematographer Anandakuttan on the sets of Kamaladalam. (Express archive photo)

“I think the accident also happened because of the unique geographical feature of that place. Later, I learnt that many accidents had occurred at that particular junction. The road at Cherthala was clear and would prompt any driver to hit the accelerator. I realised this and kept talking to him. It was around 6 in the morning, and there was mist outside. I could see the light of a bus which overtook us. But it suddenly hit our car. I think our driver may have dozed off for a second, though I am not sure. We were talking until the moment the bus rammed our car. Before realising what was happening, I was thrown off and the car turned upside down,” Sreedevi said.

She recounted that the accident occurred because there wasn’t any signpost or traffic signal at the junction. It happened in front of a hospital, she said, adding that the onlookers swung into action immediately to rescue them from the ambassador car they were travelling in. While Sreedevi survived the incident with significant injuries, they couldn’t save Monisha’s life.

Monisha with co-star Raja in the Tamil movie Moondravadhu Kann. (Express archive photo)

“I was devastated for apart from being the sole survivor of the accident – the driver and the accountant too had succumbed – and being in bed for four months with a broken pelvis and mangled face, the loss of Monisha made me a vegetable with no interest in life. But when I saw my husband go into pieces, I knew I was a wife too, who had a duty,” she told The Hindu in 2008. Given Monisha’s immense talent, glimpses of which she had already displayed and which had won over the masses by the age of 21, it’s hard to even imagine the heights she might have reached had she been with us today.