BALACHANDRA MENON : If you look at my film career, Ponnamma chechi was always a part of it. My first film, Uthrada Rathri, starred her. She was also in Chiriyo Chiri, Achuvettante Veedu, and my latest film. We were like a family, and ‘Roses of the family’, our club was our meeting space. She was a constant presence, and everyone felt a motherly warmth from her. Even though she was hospitalised earlier, I still can’t believe the news. My favourite roles of hers were always the mother characters. She truly was the mother of our audience.
I once told her that I would give her full marks as an artist compared to others. She asked me why. I told her that while everyone else would undergo makeovers to fit their characters, she would simply wear a mundu, shawl, and a grey wig. She was the only artist who did that. We Malayalees don’t like seeing her in any other way. She once wore a sleeveless blouse in a movie, and the audience didn’t like it. She had to always maintain that image.
I remember her acting in five films at a time, all with the same costume. She would portray five different mothers. Earlier, when we wrote a mother character, we couldn’t think of anyone else to cast. That was her impact. She came to the industry as a singer. She was excellent at it.