Mavelikkara Ponnamma

Last updated

Mavelikkara Ponnamma
Died6 September 1995
NationalityIndian
OccupationFilm actor
Years active1940–1995
SpouseRaghava Panicker
ChildrenSushama Padmanabhan

Mavelikkara Ponnamma (died 6 September 1995) was an Indian actress in Malayalam movies. She was one of the prominent supporting actress in late 1970s and 1990s in Malayalam movies. She is noted for her performance in Ulladakkam (1991), Aakasha Kottayile Sultan (1991) and Ennodu Ishtam Koodamo (1992).

Contents

Personal life

She belongs to the Mavelikkara Palace clan in Mavelikkara, Kerala. She was married to Raghava Panicker. The couple had a daughter, Sushama Padmanabhan.[ citation needed ]

Career

She was a government school teacher by profession, but her life was drama and films. She was one of the foremost females to start acting on stage in the 1940s when female roles were done on stage by men. She had acted in more than 500 stage dramas with renowned troupes like KPAC and Kalanilayam. She had acted with all of the top artistes of her time like Sebastian kunju kunju bhagavathar, Augustine joseph ( Singer Yesudas's father) T. N. Gopinathan Nair, Thoppil Bhasi, O Madhavan ( Actor Mukesh's father) etc.

She started acting in films in 1963 in the Udaya movies film Kadalamma in which she was the heroine and Sathyan was the hero. She acted in few other films during those days like Oru Sundariyude Katha with Prem Nazir and Jayabharathi and few other films. However, since her job as a teacher didn't allow her to take long leaves and those days since most of the films were being shot in Madras, she discontinued acting till she retired from government service.

She returned to big screen in 1989 with the K P Kumaran directed Award-winning movie Rugmini which had the story by Madhavikutty. Later she starred in movies like Jayaraj's Akasakottayile Sultan- with Srinivasan, Kamal's Ennodishtam Koodamo- with Mukesh, Madhubhala, Kamal's Ulladakkam with Mohanlal, Shobhana etc., Siby Malayil's Lohithadas scripted Valayam with Murali, Manoj K Jayan etc., T.V Chandrans’ Ponthan Mada with Mammootty, Sasinas based on Vaikom Muhammad Basheer's life story with Asokhan, Kidilol Kidilam with Narendra Prasad, Rajan P Dev and Rekha, Thalamura with Narendra Prasad, Madhu and Anju, Pidakkozhi Koovunna Noottandu with Urvashi, Ratheesh, Vinayaprasad, Sathyan Anthikkad's Samooham with Suresh Gopi, Suhasini Manirathnam etc. [1]

She was the recipient of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award in 1962, [2] Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship in 1993, [3] and many other noted awards. [4]

She died on 6 September 1995 at the Sree Uthradom thirunal hospital due to heart attack.

Partial filmography

As an actress

YearTitleRoleNotes
1940 Gnanambika
1955 Aniyathi
1956 Manthravadi Kanthimathi
1960 Umma Pathumma
1961 Unniyarcha
Krishna Kuchela
1963 Kadalamma Chithrangatha
Ninamaninja Kalpadukal
1964 Devaalayam
1967 Anweshichu Kandethiyilla
1970 Abhayam Saraswathiyamma
Nilakkatha Chalanangal
1972 Oru Sundariyude Katha Thankachi
1986AmmanamkiliSaraswathi Amma
1989 Rugmini Sathyabhai
1991 Ulladakkam Mental Patient
Aakasha Kottayile Sultan Mariyamma
1992ValayamAmmini
Ennodu Ishtam Koodamo Arathi's Grandmother
1993Thalamura
Samooham Sudhakaran's mother
1994 Ponthan Mada
Pidakkozhi Koovunna Noottandu Ammachi
1995Kidilol KidilamLakshmiyamma
Shashinaas

As a playback singer

Television career

Dramas

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References

  1. Shevlin Sebastian / ENS (11 August 2012). "Music is the food of life". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 13 August 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  2. "Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award: Drama". Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  3. "Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship: Drama". Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  4. "Music is the food of life - IBNLive". Ibnlive.in.com. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.