During his tenure teaching English at
Scott Christian College in
Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, Sukumaran got an offer to act in the Malayalam movie
Nirmalyam, directed by
M. T. Vasudevan Nair. He accepted the role of a defiant youngster in the film. The film went on to win accolades from all over and won a couple of
National Film Awards as well. Despite being noted as a talented actor, Sukumaran did not receive any offers for some time after. He was thinking of returning to the teaching profession, when he was offered a role in
Shankupushpam. With that film, Sukumaran carved a niche for himself in the
Malayalam film industry. He worked with director
P. Venu in the film
Thacholi Thankappan (1983).
Thakilu Kottampuram, directed by Balukiriyath was one of his Best films in the 80s, He then went on to act in substantial roles in films such as
Avalude Ravukal,
Angadi,
Bandhanam,
Etho Oru Swapnam,
Manasa Vacha Karmana,
Ahimsha,
Spodanam,
Shalini Ente Koottukari,
Angakkuri,
Kolilakkam,
Theekkadal,
Sandarbam,
Witness and
Kottayam Kunjachanan. By the year 1985, he had stopped playing hero roles. His role as a defiant police officer in
Oru CBI Diary Kurippu and its sequel
Jagratha, directed by
K. Madhu, was noted for its characterisation and earned cult status when the third sequel in the series,
Sethurama Iyer CBI, had
Sai Kumar portraying the son of the police officer, with the mannerisms and voice tone of Sukumaran. Sukumaran won the
Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor in 1978 for his role in
Bandhanam. His last film was
Shibiram, directed by T. S. Suresh Babu. ==Personal life==