'Mother' of generations

Kaviyoor Ponnamma's passing marks the loss of a unique artist who captured the hearts of audiences as the motherly form of Malayalam. Kaviyoor Ponnamma initially aspired to be a singer but instead became an actress, etching her name in Malayalam cinema's history. Her heartwarming smile, brimming with love and affection, remains an invaluable treasure in the industry. Many saw their mother's face in her heartwarming smile. She played a loving mother in several films and most of those characters are very close to the hearts of Malayalis.

Kaviyoor Ponnamma achieved the rare feat of acting in over 600 films, thanks to her natural and spontaneous acting style. She shared the screen with legendary actors like Sathyan, Prem Nazir, Madhu, Soman, Sukumaran, Jayan, Mammootty and Mohanlal, becoming the "mother" of multiple generations in Malayalam cinema. Her on-screen roles as Mohanlal's mother captivated audiences. Like Malayalam's own Aranmula Ponnamma and Tamil-Telugu actress Kannamba, Kaviyoor Ponnamma also left an indelible mark through her mother roles. She worked with prominent directors like KS Sethumadhavan, PN Menon, Vincent, MT Vasudevan Nair, Ramu Kariat, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Padmarajan, and Mohan.

Kaviyoor Ponnamma began her artistic journey with ambitions of becoming a celebrated singer, drawing inspiration from the legendary MS Subbulakshmi. With a dream to become a prominent singer, Ponnamma sang in plays and films. Her iconic rendition of the song 'Pookkara Pookkara, Kaikumbilil Ninnoru Poo Tharumo...' from Kalidasa Kalakendram's play 'Doctor' remains immortal. Thoppil Bhasi, who made Ponnamma a singer through KPAC's play 'Mooladhanam', made her a heroine in the very same play. Kaviyoor Ponnamma is an actress who began her career in an era filled with talented directors and actors and later went on to witness amazing changes in cinema.

Kaviyoor Ponnamma's film acting career took off at the age of 14 with her debut role in Merryland Subrahmanyam's 'Sree Rama Pattabhishekam'. However, it was her role in Sasikumar's 'Kudumbini' that became a massive hit, marking the beginning of Ponnamma's golden era as an actress. She was just 19 years old when she acted in that film. Following the huge success of the film, Kaviyoor Ponnamma played the mother of Sathyan and Madhu, who were older than her in real life, in Sasikumar's film 'Thommante Makkal'. Although she portrayed a negative character in Vincent Master's 'Thriveni', audiences were not able to accept her doing such a character. Kaviyoor Ponnamma's acting prowess was showcased in numerous iconic films, including MT Vasudevan Nair's 'Nirmalyam', Adoor Gopalakrishnan's 'Kodiyettam' KS Sethumadhavan's 'Oppol', Padmarajan's 'Thinkalaazhcha Nalla Divasam', Hariharan's 'Nakhakshathangal', Sibi Malayil's 'Kireedam' and Priyadarshan's 'Thenmavin Kombathu' among many others. She won the Kerala State Film Award for Supporting Actress four times. She last appeared in the film 'Rani', directed by Aashiq Abu, in the anthology 'Aanum Pennum' released in 2021.

Along with Kaviyoor Ponnamma's captivating smile, her iconic bindi on her forehead was equally striking. Both her smile and bindi remain etched in our memories. Farewell.