Muhammed Kutty better known as
Mammootty is a
superstar of the Indian film industry. Mammootty was born into a middle
class family without any history of acting.
Mammootty, a lawyer by qualification but he always wanted to be an
actor. Mammootty's first screen appearance was in 1971 in Anubhavangal
Paalichakal, directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan. However his role was
uncredited. He was a student at the Maharajas College then. In 1973, he
got another role in Kalachakram, a Prem Nazir movie directed by K.
Narayanan.
His
professional film career began in 1979, when he played his first lead
role in Devalokam, directed by M. T. Vasudevan Nair. However, this film
was never released.
Vilkanundu Swapnangal, written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair and directed by
M. Azad was Mammootty's first notable film. His roles in films like Mela
by K.G. George where he played a Circus artist, and Thrishna , directed
by I.V. Sasi got him noticed. His first super hit film as a hero was
Thrishna, released in 1981. After the success of Thrishna, Mammootty and
I.V. Sasi together created many hits such as Aavanazhi and Inspector
Balram.
The role
of a police officer in the investigative thriller Yavanika (1982)
directed by K. G. George cemented his position as a hero in Malayalam
cinema. The film was a big commercial success and Mammootty's role got
rave reviews for its style and dialogue delivery. This was the beginning
of a trend whereby Mammootty would play the role of a tough cop in many
action and investigative thrillers in the coming years.
In 1981,
he got his first award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in
Ahimsa.
The
period 1982-1984 saw Mammootty evolve into a commercially viable hero in
mainstream Malayalam cinema, Padmarajan’s Koodevide and Joshy’s Aa
Raathri were highly successful in the box office. His performances in
films like Aalkootathil Thaniye and Adiyozhukkukal, scripted by
M.T.Vasudevan Nair established him as an actor of substance. Mammooty
was noted for his controlled acting, never crossing the limits, and his
presentation of M. T.’s dialogues, which were always pregnant with
meaning.
In a
period of five years from 1982 to 1986 Mammootty acted in more than 150
films as the hero. During this period, Mammooty managed the rare
distinction of appearing as the hero in an astonishing 35 movies
released in a single year, 1986.
His role
as Karunan in Adiyozhukkukal directed by I.V. Sasi, written by M. T. got
him the Best Actor State Award and Filmfare Award. Mammootty won the
State special jury award and best actor Filmfare award for Yathra
directed by Balu Mahendra. The film proved to be one of the best in
Mammootty's career. In 1985, his role as Ravi Varma in Nirakkoottu,
directed by Joshy, penned by Dennis Joseph got much acclaim and also
created box office history.
For a
short while during mid 80's, Mammooty saw a decline in his career. Many
of his films during this period saw him portraying very stereotypical
roles as a familyman or a businessman.
Mammootty
made a comeback with New Delhi and Thaniyavarthanam, both released in
1987. New Delhi was a very important movie in his life as an actor. The
film was loosely based on the novel, "The Almighty" by Irving Wallace.
His portrayal of a victimized journalist, who systematically took
revenge on politicians who flattered him, was noticed and well accepted
by the masses. Meanwhile, his role as Balan mash in Thaniyavarthanam,
written by Lohithadas and directed by Sibi Malayil, was critically
acclaimed.
In 1988
Mammootty delivered one of the biggest hits in the history of Malayalam
Cinema with his Oru CBI Diary Kurippu. Oru CBI Diary Kurippu went on to
create box-office history in Kerala as well as in Tamil Nadu.
Mammootty's role as a CBI officer in this film got him critical acclaim.
Following the success of the first CBI film Oru CBI Diary Kurippu, three
more murder mystery sequels were produced with the same cast of
characters: Jagratha (1989), Sethurama Iyer CBI (2004) and Nerariyan
C.B.I (2005), all directed by K Madhu, penned by S.N. Swamy with
Mammootty as Sethurama Iyer, an intelligent but unassuming CBI officer.
The films by M.T. Vasudevan Nair and Padmarajan, arguably among the best
of Malayalam writer-directors, widened Mammootty's acting horizon. Two
of M.T. Vasudevan Nair’s films with autobiographical elements were acted
by Mammootty. One was Aksharangal directed by I.V. Sasi and the other
was Sukrutham directed by Harikumar.
Mammootty
touched the pinnacle of his career in Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha; the film
was directed by T.Hariharan and penned by M.T.Vasudevan Nair. His
depiction of a Chekavar (mercenary warrior) of distinguished valor but
vilified by circumstances won him the National Film Award for Best
Actor. Along with the huge commercial success of the film, Mammooty was
given rave reviews about his lead role in the film, which required heavy
physical and phsychological preparations. Mammootty's performance in
Mathilukal directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan was also considered for the
award. His role as a hunter Varunni in Mrugaya, directed by I.V. Sasi,
and another film Mahayanam, was also scanned for the State Award.
Mammootty won the Filmfare award for Amaram directed by Bharathan. He
played the role of an uneducated fisherman who dreams of making his only
daughter a doctor.
During
this time, Mammootty appeared in many of the films directed by Adoor
Gopalakrishnan's. He starred in three of his films, Anantharam
('Thenceforth'), Mathilukal ('Walls') and Vidheyan ('The Servile'). His
portrayal of the protagonist in Mathilukal (based on 'Mathilukal', a
novel by the ace Malayalam novelist Vaikom Muhammad Basheer) was
instrumental in getting him his first National Film Award for Best
Actor. Mammootty also portrayed the roles in Adoor Gopalakrishnan's
Vidheyan and TV Chandran's Ponthan Mada. He received the National Film
Award for Best Actor and State Award for his roles in both films. His
performance in Valtsalyam directed by Cochin Haneefa was also considered
for the State Award. The King, scripted by Renji Panikkar, was released
in 1995 and was directed by Shaji Kailas. Mammootty played the central
character as a District collector and it turned out to be the biggest
hit of the year.
Mammootty
won his third National Film Award for Best Actor for Dr Baba Saheb
Ambedkar, an English language movie about the life of Ambedkar, directed
by Jabbar Patel[14]Sponsored by National Film Development Corporation of
India and the Ministry of Social Justice, the film was released after a
long and controversial gestation period.
Mammootty's commercial hits in early 2000 include Chronic Bachelor(2003)
and Sethurama Iyer CBI(2004). Mammootty won the State Best Actor Award
for his potrayal of Operator Madhavan in Kazhcha, which did well at
box-office too. Mammootty’s career graph raised spectacularly after the
release of Rajamanikyam directed by debutant Anwar Rasheed. Released
during Ramadan 2005, the movie broke all collection records and became
the biggest hit of 2005. Rajamanikyam was also touted as the biggest hit
of all time ever produced in the Malayalam cinema. In 2006, Mammootty
continued his success with the film Thuruppugulan.
Mammootty's action comedy Mayavi became the top grosser of 2007. His
portrayal of Dr.Nathan in Shyamaprasad's Ore Kadal(2007) was critically
acclaimed. In 2008, Mammootty delivered another blockbuster Annan Thambi.
The film released in 75 centres across the state and completed 50 days
in nearly 61 centres. Also, his recent movie "Mayabazaar" holds the
record for highest channel right collecting film in Malayalam Film
Industry, by selling the channel right for 1.3 crores. The record breaks
his own record of 1.1 crores for the film Annan Thambi.
Beyond boundaries
Mammootty
had crossed the boundaries of Malayalam cinema and acted in Tamil,
Telugu, Hindi and English films. in 1989, he made his Tamil debut in
Maunam Sammatham, directed by K. Madhu . He has acted in Tamil films
with front-line directors of the industry like K. Balachander(Azhagan)
and Mani Ratnam(Thalapathy). His performance along with Tamil Superstar
Rajinikanth in Thalapathi made him a favorite among the Tamil audience
followed by a string of interesting films in Tamil. Fazil directed
Kilippechu Kekkavaa(1993) had mammootty in his rarest avatar of a
romantic hero. In 1995 Mammootty had a surprise blockbuster in the form
of R.k.selvamani directed Makkal Aatchi. In Kandukondain Kandukondain,
directed by Rajiv Menon, his performance as Captain Bala opposite
Aishwarya Rai was considered the showstealer despite a big cast
including Ajithkumar, Tabu and Aishwarya Rai. Aanandam directed by N.
Linguswamy had Mammootty in the role of a family man.
Mammootty
has acted in few forgettable films in Tamil . Puthayal(1996) (a film on
treasure hunt), Junior-Senior(2002)(a love triangle), Viswatulasi
(2004)(a mature love story) were all made with impressive starcast but
were critical and commercial disasters.
He made
his foray into Hindi films through Thriyathri in [1989]. However, his
maiden Bollywood film as hero, Dhartiputra went unnoticed., nonetheless
made his presence felt on the national level with the biographical film
on Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar directed by Jabbar Patel. Mammootty's Sau
Jhooth Ek Sach won critical acclaim but the film didn't do well at the
box office. Mammootty's Telugu film Swathi Kiranam an offbeat venture
was well received by the audience and critics.
M T
Vasudevan Nair and K G George are his mentors. While MT discovered him
, KG brought brought him up. He is deeply indebted to both of them.
He is
happily married to Sulfaath and has a daughter, Surmi, and a son,
Dulquar Salman.
|
Awards and Recognitions |
|
|
|
Civilian Honors |
|
Sl no |
Year |
Award |
Category |
Awarded by |
|
001 |
1998 |
Padma Shri |
Art, Cinema |
Government of India |
|
|
|
|
National Film Awards |
|
Sl no |
Year |
Category |
Language |
Movie (s) |
Role(s) |
|
003 |
1998 |
Best Actor |
English |
Dr. Ambedkar |
Dr. Ambedkar |
|
002 |
1993 |
Best Actor |
Malayalam |
Vidheyan,
Ponthan Mada |
Bhaskar Patelar,
Maada |
|
001 |
1989 |
Best Actor |
Malayalam |
Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha,
Mathilukal |
Chanthu Chekavar, Vaikom
Muhammad Basheer |
|
|
|
|
State Film Awards |
|
Sl no |
Year |
Category |
Language |
Movie (s) |
Role(s) |
|
006 |
2004 |
Best Actor |
Malayalam |
Kaazhcha |
Madhavan |
|
005 |
1993 |
Best Actor |
Malayalam |
Vidheyan,
Ponthan Mada,
Valtsalyam |
Bhaskar Patelar,
Maada,
Raghavan Nair |
|
004 |
1989 |
Best Actor |
Malayalam |
Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha,
Mrigaya,
Mahayanam |
Chanthu Chekavar,
Vaarunni,
Chandru |
|
003 |
1985 |
Special Jury Award |
Malayalam |
Yathra,
Nirakkoottu |
Unnikrishnan,
Ravi Varma |
|
002 |
1984 |
Best Actor |
Malayalam |
Adiyozhukkukal |
Karunan |
|
001 |
1981 |
Best Supporting Actor |
Malayalam |
Ahimsa |
Vasu |
|
(
Courtesy: http://www.mammootty.com
)
List
of Other important awards
More...
