Kabir Ponnamma, an actor who has portrayed mothers in Malayalam cinema

Fitting into a given role is a dream for any actor, but those who fit a role very well often find themselves playing the same role. Because, they become that role, which makes it impossible for filmmakers to think of anyone else in their place. Actor Kabir Ponnamma, who died on Friday at the age of 79, was one such actor. For more than six decades, she appeared in Malayalam cinema to play the role of a mother.

From playing the role in her early twenties, sometimes with the mother to the actor older than her, she has played mother in more than 300 films, from Prem Nazir to the next generation of actors. But, despite being caught in a typecast role, she explored every possible shade of it, from the grieving mother to the scheming and sometimes playful mother.

Her earlier memorable turns, like Narayani in MT Vasudevan Nair’s The Oracle’s Wife, are forgotten in the rush of recent memories. pure (1973), who struggles to care for a poverty-stricken family. The film’s climactic sequence, where the oracle spits at a goddess statue, is still talked about, but the lead-up to that scene was Narayani’s anger at her after poverty forced her to do something dishonorable — “You’re the one who made me. . At this age in this state when you were engaged in the service of the goddess, the hearth of this house was uncovered. When my children were hungry, Devi did not bring rice or money.”

Memorable role

That moment, early in his career, may have been his most devastating moment on screen, but the second step would be to play Balan’s mother, played by Mammootty. Thaniyavartanam (1987). In one of Malayalam cinema’s most heart-wrenching sequences of motherly love, she gives her son a piece of rice laced with poison to prevent him from being labeled a madman and detained by superstitious family members. In kodiettamShe played the role of a single mother who casts her eyes on the protagonist Shekharankutty with a hint of desire.

Rare onscreen bonding

But, it was with Mohanlal that she created the most popular mother-son pair on screen. From Setu’s Mother in Tragic Kiredam To the mother-like figure who demands the character played by Mohanlal to sacrifice herself for her own son, the two share a very rare onscreen bond. In His Highness Abdullah (1990), his mental illness leads him to believe that he is his own dead son. Her role as Andrew’s mother, endlessly waiting for her son, in Harihar Nagar A painful memory remains in a film otherwise remembered for its humor.

Started as a singer

Young Ponnamma’s singing talent opened the door to cinema. At the age of 12, he started as a vocalist in Thoppil Vasi’s plays capital. Soon, he was asked to play the lead role in a classic drama. After being in various drama groups including KPAC, he made his film debut Sriram Pattabhishekam (1962). Within three years, she was in her first mother role Thommanum McCallumWhere Satyan and Madhu were his sons. He has won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Second Actor four times.

Towards the end of her career, in one of her last appearances on screen, she and Nedumudi Venu played a crooked couple. Anam Penam (2021). The Ponnamma we saw in that film, hinting at mischievous mischievousness, reminds us that Malayalam cinema has not exploited her full potential by seeing only the mother in her.