PK Rosy’s 120th birth anniversary: Google doodle honours Malayalam cinema’s first actress

In honor of the first ever Malayalam actress named PK Rosa, Google Doodle dedicated a page on her birth anniversary. Rosy was born on February 10 as Rajamma in Thiruvananthapuram. Along with her holiday logo, Google's page dedicated to her also lists her date of birth. At a time when practicing any art was taboo and discouraged in society, especially for women, Rosy became famous for her decision to act in films.

Rosy's first film, Vigathakumaran (The Lost Child), released in 1930, created controversy for her. After the release of Vigathakumaran, the audience started hating her because Rosy, being the daughter of a Dalat man, played the role of a Nair woman.

According to the audience, the scene where the male lead kisses a flower in his hair caused a backlash. She was forced to leave the state after the release of the film. She moved to Tamil Nadu where she met Kesava Pillai, a truck driver. The two got married and she made out with him as Rajamma. Many years after she stopped acting, her contribution to Malayalam cinema and society at large came to light.

"Thank you, PK Rosy, for your courage and the legacy you leave behind," the search engine wrote in her honor. Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) announced in 2019 that a film society would be established under the name PK Rosy.

“Our logo visually resembles Rosy and was designed by Mumbai-based designer Zoya Riyas. P.K. On our part, Rosy Film Society is an effort to create a viewing space for cinema, which has often been an exclusively male space. Fronted and led by a panel of all ciswomen/transwomen, we aim to showcase, discuss and celebrate women filmmakers, film professionals and feminist film aesthetics,” their statement reads.

The actress died of unknown health reasons in 1988.