On Mammootty’s birthday, we celebrate an actor whose greatest strength lies in his ability to disappear into the characters he plays. From acclaimed Malayalam classics to his more recent performances, the superstar has repeatedly shown that true stardom need not overshadow the craft of acting.
Filmfare’s Editor-in-Chief Jitesh Pillaai looks at Mammootty’s remarkable ability to shed the trappings of stardom and become the character, time and again. In his words…
There is a defining moment in Mathilukal (1990) when Mammootty the star sheds his superstar skin and absorbs the persona of the prisoner Vaikom Muhammad Basheer. It’s a moment when the camera traces his morning ablutions and the process of making his special brand of tea, which he shares with his inmate. At that point, you know greatness lies in the art of dissembling. Nowhere do you see any traits, mannerisms or trappings of superstardom. It’s an incredibly tough act for a man who’s enjoyed supernova status for over three decades in Kerala and is revered by millions.
You see the same magic in Thaniyavarthanam (1987), a tale of a man going to pieces emotionally and mentally because society pushes him to the brink. You see that same elegiac quality in Amaram (1991). The scene where he asks his daughter, Madhu, how she could even imagine that he would kill his own son-in-law is a masterstroke of emotion.
Mammootty in Unda (2019) is a map of expressions, holding his own amidst a heap of testosterone. He makes the character his own, as he did in Pathemari (2015), Kaazhcha (2004), Varsham (2014) and Palunku (2006). There is thought, and there is craft.
And the artistry is on display every time the opportunity arises, like in Kadal (2013). For me, the finest times in the 80s were watching the actor smash it out of the park in Nirakkoottu (1985), Yathra (1985), New Delhi (1987), Aavanazhi(1986), and seminal works like Aksharangal (1984), Yavanika (1982), Kareele Kaatu Pole (1986) and Oru CBI Diary Kurippu (1988).
Wishing Mammootty a happy birthday and many more years of continuing to be the changeling that he is. Thank you for showing us how it’s done. And for Kadal. For Bramayugam. For Kalamkaval.
Also Read: Editor’s Take: Remembering Uttam Kumar, The Mahanayak Who Defined an Era
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