Mamukkoya’s last movie was with me — Olavum Theeravum, a remake of the 1970 film by the same name. We completed the shooting some seven months back and he was struggling during the dubbing due lack of clarity in speech. He told me then, “I am not going to act again.” It’s unfortunate that it turned out to be so and Malayalam cinema has lost one of its most genuine actors.
During the shooting, he told me that it was a nostalgic moment for him. When he was an aspiring actor, he used to go to the sets of the original Olavum Theeravum. He told me that he stood there and watched the shooting. “I never thought that destiny will make me part of the scenes that I had watched as a non-actor,” he told me. He plays an important role in the film. I think, with the film, he completed a full circle in his life.
Mamukkoya was part of a set of highly talented actors like Thilakan, Jagathy Sreekumar, Nedumudy Venu and Innocent who helped Mammootty and Mohanlal in their journey to superstardom. There’s another aspect to these actors — each one of them represented a certain part of our state. We can say they represented the regions they belonged to in our films. Jagathy, for instance, represented Thiruvananthapuram; Nedumudi Venu, central Travancore; Thilakan, the Changanassery-Kottayam belt; and Innocent brought in the slang and feel of Thrissur.
Likewise, Mamukkoya was the representative of north Kerala. These actors brought in their own identity and typical slang, and at the same time, they were real, earthy, and innocent. I would call them born actors. They have been the strength of the Malayalam cinema.
They have been the reason for my success in the film industry as well. With me, Mamukkoya has played many interesting characters, and what stays with me is the iconic scene in ‘Oppam’, where he says ‘Aaranu adhyam body kandathu, athu njamalanu”. People will always remember that scene. I won’t say I have done anything for him, but he has done a lot for my films.
Outside the film, he had his own views on politics, religion, and other matters, and he never pushed his views on others. Moreover, he’s the simplest person I have known. Because, he comes in the morning for the shoot, and sits in a chair under some tree, even if there are caravans and other things. Even during lunch, he goes and sits with workers and eats. Because, he lived a very simple life. He was travelling in buses, and he never behaved as he is an important actor. But, in reality, he was one of Malayalam cinema’s important actors.
Once I asked him “Chetta, do you live the same life as earlier?” He said he lives the way he was when he was a worker in a timber yard. As far as his acting is concerned, there is nothing called a comedian.
The comedians are the best actors, starting from Charlie Chaplin. It’s very difficult to make others laugh. Buffoons cannot do that. Only genuine actors can do that. Unfortunately, he did not get many serious roles. Actors are like beggars, they can’t choose. He accepted what came his way, and he did it most sincerely. Adieu, chetta.