‘If not for that movie, would I have been here?’: Mammootty reveals his most cherished role as ‘Kalamkaval’ earns praise

With the release of director Jithin K Jose’s crime thriller ‘Kalamkaval’, Mammootty has once again reminded audiences why even his peers describe him as “Indiavin maaperum nadigar” — India’s greatest actor.

Playing a chillingly ruthless serial killer, the legendary star has delivered yet another transformative, conversation-starting performance, adding to the wave of acclaim around his late-career reinvention.

However, as the buzz around Kalamkaval grows, an interesting revelation from nearly two decades ago is gaining renewed attention. During a 2003 interview with Kairali TV, Mammootty was asked a question many fans still debate today — did he have a personal favourite among the hundreds of characters he has portrayed?

The megastar did not hesitate. He immediately named Madhavankutty Menon, his role in M Azad’s 1980 film ‘Vilkkanundu Swapnangal’, written by MT Vasudevan Nair. It was the first credited performance of his career — and, to him, still the most defining.

“If not for that movie and role, would I have been here today? That’s the best role I have done to date,” he said at the time.

For an actor who has played everything from iconic heroes to morally ambiguous loners to the deeply unsettling antagonist in Kalamkaval, Mammootty’s choice reflects the emotional significance of his early journey.

A complete outsider with no film-industry connections, he began with an uncredited appearance in KS Sethumadhavan’s Anubhavangal Paalichakal (1971), followed by another in 1973’s ‘Kaalachakram’.

It took seven years before he earned his first real break, which eventually launched a career now spanning more than 400 films in multiple languages and three National Awards for Best Actor.

In the same interview, Mammootty also offered a rare, introspective glimpse into how he approaches his craft. Responding to a remark that he is not considered a “born actor,” he agreed with surprising openness.

“I am not a born actor… I may be an appetising actor. I became and continue to be an actor because of my desires,” he said, adding that every performance emerges from deliberate study and inner work.

He explained that no two characters of his ever feel similar because he constructs each one from scratch.

“I keenly observe, identify, and approach my characters intelligently. I always have an intellectual approach to my characters… That’s why no two performances of mine look alike. One character is not a continuation of the previous one. That’s why one can notice the metamorphosis from one to the other,” he said.

Calling himself meticulous to the point of obsession, Mammootty revealed that he never performs a scene without mapping the character’s “graph.”

“It’s because I am extremely careful and move thoughtfully that such things are possible. I don’t do a character in haste… There’s a graph (for a character). If we are careless, that graph may go wrong; that’s when we fail.”

As ‘Kalamkaval’ continues to dominate discussions for its daring premise and Mammootty’s stunning villainous turn, his 2003 reflections offer timely insight into why his performances — whether in ‘Puzhu’ (2022), ‘Bramayugam’ (2024), ‘Kaathal – The Core’ (2023), or his newest release — never resemble one another.

Also featuring Vinayakan, Rajisha Vijayan, Gibin Gopinath, Gayatri Arun, and Shruti Ramachandran, ‘Kalamkaval’ is produced by Mammootty Kampany, with music by Mujeeb Majeed, cinematography by Faisal Ali, and editing by Praveen Prabhakar.