Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair is one of the senior performers of the Kathakali form of dance. This dance personality is known for his poise and precise body movements and it is with the help of such distinguished body movements that the dance has made an acclaimed position in the field of Kathakali Dance. Ramankutty Nair is mostly popular for his anti-hero performance. He has famous performances as Ravana, Duryodhana, Keechaka and Narakasura. He had shown equal expertise in the role of Lord Hanuman and during the early days of his career he had performed as sage Parasuram where he had used semi-realistic make up and costumes. His performance as sage Parasurama had gained him a lot of fame and popularity as a Kathakali dancer.

The medium built and the average facial features which he had did not make him very suitable as a romantic hero but many times he had performed as a protagonist of the play. He had performed the roles of Bhima, Arjuna and Yudhisthir which were choreographically complex in nature but the great master had delivered all his roles with absolute excellence. Some of the other well known characters which were performed by Ramankutty Nair include the role of black-bearded Kaattaalan in Nalacharitam and his Brahmana in Santanagopalam.

Throughout his career he was determined to stick to sheer classicism of the Kathakali Dance. He was born in the year 1929 and belonged to a family which had no Kathakali lineage. But in his childhood he had come under the influence of Ravunni Menon and he mastered the art in Kerala Kalamandalam. Later on during his life when Ramanakutty had mastered the art of Kathakali Dance he had made several disciples.

All through his life he has graced several theatres of the country and also outside the country with his graceful performance. Presently the great maestro lives in the village of Vellinezhi with his wife Saraswati.

Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair is thus a master of the Kathakali Dance Performance who all through his life has stuck to the classical elements of the dance drama and has helped this form of art to culminate to the zenith of success.