Southern Comfort: Mammootty is 64
On Mammootty's 64th birthday, we take a pictorial tour of his life and the incredible career
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Southern Comfort: Mammootty is 64A towering personality in both mainstream and art-house cinema down south, Malayalam superstar Mammootty's much-awarded career spanning three decades has him featuring in nearly 400 films. He is the rare actor whose appeal and popularity cuts across state boundaries. He is almost as beloved in Tamil Nadu as he is in his native Kerala. On his 64th birthday, we take a pictorial tour of his life and the incredible career. -
Southern Comfort: Mammootty is 64In 1973, he appeared in his second film, Kaalachakram, under the screen name Sajin. Again, he had just one scene but this time, it was a speaking role. In 1979, Mammotty landed his first leading role in Devalokam, a film that was never completed. -
Southern Comfort: Mammootty is 64Roles started flowing in only in 1980 and, just like his contemporary Mohanlal, Mammootty began his career playing villains. Mammootty had a small part playing a bad guy in Vilkkanundu Swapnangal, starring Sukumaran. The same year, he starred as the main villain in Mela. -
Southern Comfort: Mammootty is 64Stardom was now just around the corner. In 1981, his performance in Ahimsa earned him a Kerala State Award for Best Supporting Actor. Ahimsa pitted Mammootty against that other colossus of south cinema, Mohanlal. -
Southern Comfort: Mammootty is 64Accolades followed with his appearances in films like Aalkkoottathil Thaniye(1984) and Adiyozhukkukal(1984), the latter earning him the Best Actor trophy at the Kerala State Film Awards as well as the Filmfare Awards. -
Southern Comfort: Mammootty is 64In the mid '80s, Mammootty's graph slumped somewhat with the actor being typecast in the role of a businessman-father. The hit thriller New Delhi (1987), in which Mammootty played a victimized journalist out for revenge against corrupt politicians, revived his career from the doldrums of stereotyping. -
Southern Comfort: Mammootty is 64Mammootty followed up New Delhi with an award-winning performance in the drama Thaniyavarthanam and the record-shattering Oru CBI Diary Kurippu(1988), a mystery film that created box-office history in Kerala as well as in Tamil Nadu. His character from the film, CBI officer Sethurama Iyer, became so famous that a spin-off franchise featuring the character has spawned more films. -
Southern Comfort: Mammootty is 64By now, Mammootty was a force of nature. 1989's Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha and Mathulikal fetched Mammootty the National Award for Best Actor. A second National Award came his way with Adoor Gopalakrishnan's Vidheyan(1993) and Ponthan Mada, and a third with 1999's Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. -
Southern Comfort: Mammootty is 64The 2000s, however, were less golden for Mammootty, now trapped in clichéd matinee idol roles. He tried comedy with films like Thuruppu Gulan and Rajamanikyam. But the actor made a strong comeback with Big B (2007) which became one of the biggest hits ever in Malayalam cinema and is considered a pioneering film in technical brilliance. -
Southern Comfort: Mammootty is 64Films like Ore Kadal(2007) and Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha(2009), in which he played three roles, brought him back to his old mould of flawless acting. The latter fetched him a Kerala State Award for Best Actor. -
Southern Comfort: Mammootty is 64In 2010, Mammootty dabbled with many styles and won over audiences with films like Pokkiri Raja (remade in Hindi as Boss), Best Actor and Pranchiyettan & The Saint. The last film became a milestone in his successful career and also earned him a National Award nomination.
