Fri Sep 20 14:51:42 UTC 2024: ## Veteran Malayalam Actress Kaviyoor Ponnamma Passes Away at 80
**Kochi:** Renowned Malayalam actress Kaviyoor Ponnamma, known for her heartwarming portrayals of mothers, passed away on Friday evening at the age of 80. She was undergoing treatment for cancer at Lisie Hospital in Ernakulam.
Ponnamma began her career as a singer and later transitioned to acting through theatre, eventually making her mark in Malayalam cinema. She is best known for her roles as the mother figure to prominent actors like Sathyen, Madhu, Prem Nazir, Soman, Sukumar, Mammootty, and Mohanlal. Ponnamma also excelled in diverse roles, including negative characters.
Having acted in over a thousand films, she received the Kerala State Film Award for Best Supporting Actress four times. She also produced the film “Meghatheertham” and was married to the late filmmaker and screenwriter Maniswami. The couple has a daughter, Bindu, and a grandson, Venkatram, who is a professor at the University of Michigan, USA.
Born on January 6th, 1944, in Kaviyoor, Pathanamthitta, Ponnamma was the daughter of T.P. Damodaran and Gauriamma. She had six younger siblings, including the late actress Kaviyoor Renukha.
Ponnamma’s journey in the arts started at a young age, nurtured by her father’s passion for music. She aspired to become a renowned singer like M.S. Subbulakshmi. At twelve, she was invited by music director G. Devarajan to sing for a play. Her debut performance was in Thoppil Bhasi’s ‘Mooladhanam’.
Later, she took on the lead role in the same play after the original actress couldn’t make it, marking the beginning of her acting career. She went on to become a prominent actress with the Kerala Peoples Arts Club (KPAC), and also performed with other theatre groups like Prabha Arts Club and Kalidasa Kalakendra. Her performances in plays like ‘Puthiya Aakasham Puthiya Bhoomi’, ‘Doctor’, ‘Althara’, and ‘Janani Janmabhoomi’ were highly acclaimed.
Ponnamma’s film debut occurred at the age of fourteen, when she was urged by Thangappan Master, a dance teacher at Kalidasa Kalakendra, to act in Meriland’s ‘Sreeramapattabhishekam’. She played Mandodari in the film. Her first role as a mother was in the film ‘Kudumbini’.
She went on to portray motherly figures to numerous stars in films like ‘Thommene Makkal’ (Sathyen and Madhu), and eventually starred in over a thousand films, portraying both positive and negative characters.
Ponnamma worked with renowned Malayalam directors including P.N. Menon, Vincent, M.T. Vasudevan Nair, Ramu Kariat, K.S. Sethumadhavan, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, John Abraham, Padmarajan, and Mohan, among others. Some of her notable films include ‘Asuravith’, ‘Velutha Katrine’, ‘Cross Belt’, ‘Karakanaakadal’, ‘Theerthayatram’, ‘Nirmalyam’, ‘Nell’, ‘Avalude Ravukal’, ‘Kodiyettam’, ‘Oppol’, ‘Karibhana’, ‘Thungalazhcha Nalla Divasam’, ‘Triveni’, ‘Nizhalattam’, ‘Thaniyaavartanam’, ‘Nakshakshathangal’, ‘His Highness Abdulla’, ‘Kireedam’, ‘Chengkol’, ‘Bharatham Santana Gopal’, and ‘Sukrutham’.
Ponnamma also sang in eight films and acted in over 25 television serials.
Her funeral will be held at her house in Aluva after public viewing at the Kalamassery Municipal Town Hall from 9am to 12 noon on Saturday.
The Malayalam film industry mourns the loss of a legendary actress whose contributions to cinema will forever be remembered.
First Piper 