It is not always that an actor is stereotyped in a particular role for several decades, and yet no one has any real complaint about it. Kaviyoor Ponnamma had that privilege. She was so good at being the quintessential Malayali mother that she will forever be the face of motherhood for a generation of Malayalam film enthusiasts. It all started when she played the mother of actors Sathyan and Madhu in Thommante Makkal at the age of 20. From thereon, for over four decades, Ponnamma epitomised motherhood like no one else could. Unlike her peers, including KPAC Lalitha, Sukumari or Meena, who switched between mother characters of different shades, Ponnamma was almost always a figure of overpouring love and compassion, yet no one was tired of it. According to industry insiders, the warmth that she exuded with her performances was a reflection of her real-life persona. Some of them share with us their fond memories of Ponnamma.
Navya Nair: “We got along like best friends”
For most people, she was like their mother, but I never called her amma, aunty, or chechi. I used to call her Ponnu. She was my co-star in my first film Nandanam where we got along like best friends. I had all the freedom in the world with her as we used to play anthakshari, crack silly jokes, and even pass comments on others. Later, while doing Pattanathil Sundaranwe stayed together in a house. I’d get on top of her, try new makeup styles, and tickle her constantly, all of which she enjoyed with a childlike enthusiasm. She was extremely fond of me, which I think was because of my acting. I’ve seen her praising my performances while talking to other actors and even in interviews. She loved the honesty in my performance, especially during emotional scenes. I’d forget the fact that I’m the heroine or how my face would look on screen, and she loved that aspect of my acting a lot.
Today, as I reminisce about all these, I feel a sea of grief and guilt engulfing me. She always prayed for me to have a good family life, but my life circumstances weren’t all that smooth and I didn’t want to hurt her by sharing all that. Even recently, when I met Siddique ettan at his son’s funeral, he told me about her condition, but I couldn’t visit her because of my busy schedules. Even now, I’m out of station and it hurts me that I won’t be able to see her one last time. In my quest to conquer the world, I couldn’t find time for such precious moments and I know this feeling of regret will continue to haunt me. It’s a hard-hitting realisation because life doesn’t always give you second chances. I don’t even deserve to talk about her.
Vijayaraghavan: “Her legacy will live long”
I haven’t worked with Ponnamechi in many films, but I was still extremely close to her. She was like a motherly figure to everyone, always warm and pleasant. I think it was in ’85 when we first worked together and she had been the same ever since. Her legacy will live long through the several wonderful mother characters she has played over the years.
Ashokan: “It feels like a personal loss”
Though we have acted together only in very few films, there was still a strong bond between us. We used to regularly talk over call and text messages. A few months back, I visited her along with my wife at her home. At that time, she had some difficulty to walk, but apart from that, she was still the same Ponnamma chechi, enjoying her laughs. She used to sing well and always made me sing. It feels like a personal loss.
Padmarajan's Thinkalazhcha Nalla Divasam was our first film together, in which she was the central character and I played one of the grandchildren. It’s a very touching film and ever since then, I’ve had a special relationship with her. Today we don’t have many actors who can play mother roles with as much dignity and grace as her. She used to play the mother of actors who were much older than her, which is not an easy job. If I’m not wrong, she has played mothers to the likes of Madhu, Nazir, Sathyan, Jayan, KP Ummar, etc. There was a phase in Malayalam cinema when there was a clear demarcation between arthouse and commercial films and Ponnamma chechi was among the very few to be an active part of both these styles of cinema. She was a very natural actor, in tune with today’s realistic performances.
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