Mammootty remains one of the greatest fortunes of Malayalam Cinema. Across generations that have been continuously mesmerised by the actor and the superstar within him, he embodies the childhood, youth and old age of Kerala. Today marks the 75th birthday of this legendary actor, who cannot be bound by the constraints of time or the sheer number of his films. Best birthday wishes to our beloved Mammookka from Mathrubhumi English.

Mammootty is the ultimate embodiment of the Malayali ideal hero and archetype. It was in 1971, through the film ‘Anubhavangal Paalichakal’, that Muhammed Kutty first stepped onto the silver screen. Malayalam and Indian Cinema subsequently embraced Muhammed Kutty as Mammootty. Making him the definitive word in masculinity and charm, multiple generations have cherished Mammootty as their personal pride. Few have raised the flag of success equally across parallel and commercial cinema in the same era quite like he has.

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Born on September 7, 1951 in the village of Chempu at Vaikom in Kottayam, Mammootty is the son of Ismail and Fathima. His actual name is P I Muhammed Kutty. He completed his primary education at schools in Chempu and Chandiroor Kulasekharamangalam. He pursued higher education at Sacred Heart College in Thevara, Maharaja’s College in Ernakulam and Government Law College, Ernakulam. For a brief period, he practiced as a criminal lawyer in Manjeri. Over a film career spanning nearly five decades, he has acted in more than 425 films.

Conferred with the Padma Shri award in 1998, Mammootty was honoured by the nation with the Padma Bhushan in his 75th birthday year. He has won four National Film Awards for Best Actor, alongside nine Kerala State Film Awards, including Best Actor, Best Second Actor, and Special Jury Mention. He has also been awarded honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) degrees by Kerala, Calicut and Mahatma Gandhi Universities, as well as the Kerala Prabha Award, the highest civilian honour instituted by the Government of Kerala, along with numerous other major and minor accolades.

His cinematic journey, which began in 1971, has now completed 55 years. Two of his films have reached cinemas so far this year: a cameo appearance in ‘Chattha Pachha’, featuring young actors, and ‘Patriot’, where he reunited with Mohanlal after several years. Ranjith's ‘Law and Order’ is slated for release soon, in which Mammootty makes a special appearance, reprising his iconic role as Karikkamuri Shanmughan from the 2004 film ‘Black’. In addition to these, several other Malayalam and regional language projects are currently in the pipeline.