Shining brighter than gold: Mammootty celebrates mega landmark in his film career

August 6, 2021 marks star actor Mammootty's glorious golden jubilee in the field of cinema. 50 years have passed since this legend of a man waltzed into the Malayalam Movie Industry. He has exhibited his versatility and impeccable acting skills throughout these years that has helped him carve out a niche in the field of the Indian Movie industry itself. A myriad of roles ranging from the lover boy to the villain, from the poker-faced serious roles to that of the jolly dance-around kind of guy roles, from characters that make people cry to characters that make people laugh out loud, he brings a sort of unmatched perfection to the characters that he portrays.

Mammootty has to his name the hearts of Malayalis all around the world, a prized possession indeed. Mammootty's debut was in the 1971 film 'Anubhavangal Paalichakal', directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan. He had recently shared on his Instagram account the colour corrected photo of a screengrab from his first-ever appearance on celluloid. 

He has acted in over 400 films which include movies in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi and English.  It is not just about the emotion he brings to the roles that he plays, it's all about the personal touch he adds to those characters. A sort of relatability that lures people into a feeling of familiarity. He takes mundane characters and makes them infinitely better. It is hard to imagine 'Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha' without Mammootty playing the character of Chandu, 'Vatsalyam' without him adorning the character of the caring big brother Meledath Raghavan Nair, 'Thaniyavarthanam' without him doing justice to the character of Balan, 'Mathilukal' with another Basheer playing his part. The legendary 'Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja' with another actor in his place is unthinkable.

Mammootty has won three National Film Awards for Best Actor, seven Kerala State Film Awards and thirteen Filmfare Awards South.

Mammootty became active in the cinema industry in the eighties. He played his first credited role in the film 'Vilkkanundu Swapnangal' released in the year 1980. The movie was directed by Azad and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair. Mammootty's first starring role in a released film was the 1980 film, Mela.

He has starred in many blockbusters that have ruled the theatres with all the rage even months after their release. His latest movies include One and The Priest. His upcoming works include 'Bheeshma Parvam' by Amal Neerad and 'Puzhu' by debutant director Ratheena. 

KS Sethumadhavan, the renowned director of the 1971 film 'Anubhavangal Paalichakal' which was Mammootty's debut film,  talked to Mathrubhumi over phone from his residence in Madras.

"I was shooting the movie 'Anubavangal Palichakal' in Kerala. It was an outdoor shoot, so there were a lot of people gathered around the set. A young man from the crowd came forward and asked me for a chance in the movie. I asked him his name and he replied 'Mammootty'. I asked him what his educational qualification was and he told me that he was a lawyer by profession.

"I was surprised, so I asked him why he wanted to act in the movie. He told me that he was interested in acting. So I decided to give him a chance as a junior artist and asked my people  to run a shot. He did well. I have worked with him in three other movies- 'Aarorumariyathe', 'Avidathepole Ivideyum' and 'Ariyatha Veethikal'.

"He is a good actor and exhibits fine acting skills. I am very impressed with his habits, especially his food habits and how he takes care of his body. Another thing I greatly admire about his character is his devotion towards his wife, how much he respects her and how much he cares for his family. I wish him and his family good health, long life, prosperity, wisdom and peace," he added.