Atlas Ramachandran Death: M. M. Ramachandran Passes Away At 80

The Kerala-born businessman & film producer Mathukkara Moothedath Ramachandran (aka Atlas Ramachandran) passed away at the age of 80.

Mathukkara Moothedath Ramachandran, also known as Atlas Ramachandran, died of a heart attack on Sunday night at Bur Dubai Aster Mankhool Hospital. Later, a funeral service will be performed in Dubai.

On Saturday night, he was hospitalized after experiencing chest trouble. When he passed away, his daughter Dr. Manju and wife Indira were by his side. 

He passed away just as he was getting ready to revive his now-defunct jewelry chain, Atlas Jewellery.

Former Atlas Jewellery chairman Atlas Ramachandran has been posting “working hard to rebuild” on his WhatsApp status for a while. 

When he hosted a modest party for his friends at his apartment in Bur Dubai to commemorate turning 80 years old, he grabbed all the headlines. He was the son of M M Rugmini Amma and V Kamalakara Menon, and he was born in Thrissur on July 31, 1942.

The Dubai Police “detained” the banker-turned-jeweler in May 2018 for the failure to repay bank loans made while he was away, in the banker’s words.

M. M. Ramchandran described how his former supervisors had tricked him, which resulted in his arrest and prison sentence, in an August interview with the news media. 

When he was released from prison, 3,000 plus kilograms of gold worth 740 million AED (Rs 1583.77 crores), dispersed among 44 jewelry stores in the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries, had vanished, leaving him in a state of penury. 

He used to get ready in his fancy kurta every day by 8:30 am, acting as though he was heading to his office and holding virtual meetings with his attorneys.

In 1981, Atlas Ramachandran used whatever cash he had on hand to purchase two kilograms of gold, which was the beginning of his gold jewelry business. There was no turning back from that point till his arrest by the Dubai Police in 2018.

Ramchandran’s competitors in the industry did not take kindly to him holding several coveted positions, such as chairman of the Dubai Shopping Festival’s Gold Promotion Council and secretary of the Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group, or being awarded the contract to open Atlas Jewellery at the Cochin International Airport Limited. 

When the CEOs of the various businesses refused to donate their names, Ramachandran created the slogan “Atlas Jewellery – Janakodikalude Vishwasthasthapanam” (Trusted by millions) to promote the jewelry line.

His situation is similar to that of “Jacobinte Swargarajyam,” wherein Atlas Ramachandran’s wife, Indu, or as he affectionately called her, took baby steps in business by selling their 2 hospitals, following up with the banks, and securing his release from prison.

In addition to acting in Arabikatha, Subhadram, Anandabhairavi, Malabar Wedding, and 2 Harihar Nagar, he produced a number of movies, including Vaishali, Dhanam, Vasthuhara, Kauravar, Chakoram, Innale, and Sukrutham.

He owned Chandrakantha films and had also directed the movie Holidays. Even though the travel ban had been lifted, Atlas Ramachandran wanted to resolve the last few civil lawsuits brought against him before leaving for Kerala.