Joseph was born on 15 January 1929, and grew up in Thrissur, where his father was the manager of the Jose Theatre.[4] He studied at St. Thomas College, and later graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from the Sacred Heart College in Ernakulam, where his father had joined the Shenoy Theatres. When he completed his education, Joseph's father suggested that he join T. E. Vasudevan, who was distributing and producing films under the banner of Associated Pictures as an apprentice.
Career
Joseph joined Vasudevan in 1950 on an initial salary of ₹150 per month (1.77 US Dollars). Associated Pictures was in a financial partnership with the Shenoys, however Vasudevan later launched his own business by starting JayaMaruthi Pictures, with Joseph joining him.
Joseph moved to Madras (Now Chennai) in 1951 to manage the regional business of Associated Pictures. Joseph's first foray into independent filmmaking was in a partnership with P. Balthazar and NV Joseph, with production company Navajeevan Films.[5] The first film, ‘Naadan Pennu’ was released in 1967, and was directed by KS Sethumadhavan.
As Malayalam cinema became more prolific in the 1960's and 70's, Joseph would gain more fame. The shooting for each film was mostly done outdoors and would be completed in a stretch of some three to four weeks. The remaining shots which were based on fabricated sets were done in one of the studios in Kodambakkam. The big studio houses were Vidya Studios, Vahini Studios and Bharani Studios.[citation needed] Directors who Joseph worked with include KS Sethumadhavan, Thoppil Baasi and IV Sasi. The Manjilas banner produced around 25 films in total, from 1968 to 1984.
Contributions To Malayalam Film Industry
Joseph played an important role in establishing several key institutions in the Malayalam film industry. He was one of the founders of the Malayalam Chalachitra Parishad,[6] along with Ramu Karyat and TE Vasudevan. The organization helped aged and in-need film artist's and their families. In the beginning, the office of the Parishad started in the Manjilas office. When Sathyan died, his body was kept in the Manjilas office for public display, since it was also the office of the Chalachitra Parishad.
Later, Joseph helped raise funds for by organizing Star Nites, which were a hugely popular mix of show-biz, music and drama, which were held in different towns of Kerala. Stars such as Prem Nazir, Sheila and singers such as P. Leela contributed their time to these shows. From the funds collected through Star Nites, and from donations, the Parishad was able to buy its own land in Mambalam, Chennai and construct its own double storied offices. Joseph continued as the Treasurer of the Parishad. He was also a founder member of the management committee of Asan Memorial Group of institutions and functioned as its Vice President.[citation needed]
Personal life
He married Kunjamma Joseph at the age of 24 in 1953. They had five children.[7]
