Malayalam actor and comedian Mamukkoya dies at 76
The actor suffered a brain hemorrhage and a cardiac arrest and was in the ICU yesterday
Malayalam actor Mamukkoya, known for his sharp comic timing and wit in films laced with dialogues uttered in Malabari dialect, died at a private hospital in Kozhikode in Kerala on April 26. He was 76.
According to a report in Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi, Mamukkoya collapsed on a football field earlier this week and suffered a cardiac arrest along with a brain hemorrhage. He was kept on a ventilator, but succumbed to his condition. He has acted alongside idols like Mammootty, Jayaram, and Mohanlal. He's known for playing ordinary man roles with pananche.
Mamukkoya, who has acted in over 450 films, was a constant in Malayalam comedies and dramas for several decades. He began his career doing theatre in 1979 and then dabbled in comedy in movies. His pronounced Malabar dialect made him an endearing figure in South Indian films.
Earlier this year, Malayalam industry also lost actor Innocent.
Mamukkoya's demise leaves a further void in the comic space in films. His chemistry with actors like Mohanlal, Sreenivasan, and Jayaram in blockbusters like 'His Highness Abdullah' and 'Ramji Rao Speaking' and 'Sandesam' made him a comic force to reckon with.
His toothy grin and his physical comedy made him a familiar face in almost all popular films that were churned out in the 1990s. His collaboration with director Sathyan Anthikkad, who is known for making films on ordinary folks and their ordinary problems in an extraordinary manner, was always successful. Together, they spun gold in film like 'Gandhinagar 2nd Street', 'Nadodikattu' and 'Sandesham'.
In 'Nadodikattu', he played a scamster who convinced the heroes that he could ferry them from Kerala to Dubai, making it his breakthrough role in comedy.
He may have played the teastall owner several times in his career, but his dialogue delivery added dignity and gravitas to each film.
In 2008 film 'Innathe Chintha Visheyam', Mamukkoya won his career's first Kerala State Film Award for Best Comedian for playing Shajahan. Apart from comedy, he excelled in emotionally-charged films too. In the tear-jerker 'Perrumazhakkalam' directed by Kamal, Mammukkoya played the down-and-out Abdu with such conviction proving that he's an actor of all seasons.
In the more recent film 'Kuruthi' starring Prithviraj, Mamukkoya played a character with immense swagger and an outlandish fashion sense to boot.
He's survived by his four children and wife Suhara.
As soon as the news of his death emerged, actors including Prithviraj, producer and his wife Supriya Menon, Jayaram paid glowing tributes to the actor.