Malayalam cinema’s legendary actress Kaviyoor Ponnamma passed away at the age of 79 on Friday, September 20, at a private hospital. Influenced by her father, she began learning music at an early age, aspiring to become a renowned singer like MS Subbulakshmi. At just 12, music director G Devarajan invited her to sing for the play Mooladhanam, written by celebrated playwright Thoppil Bhasi.
When the theatre group struggled to find a lead actress, Kaviyoor Ponnamma stepped into the role, marking the beginning of her illustrious acting career. There is an interesting anecdote behind the Nellu actress acting for the first time in this play. Reports mention that Kaviyoor Ponnamma started crying and said she doesn’t know how to act.
According to the reports, the playwright Thoppil Bhasi encouraged her to go ahead with the acting. He reportedly told her, “A little bit of acting is not that big of a deal, just do as I say.” She followed his words, enacted the role of the lead actress and hereafter, there was no looking back for her.
She acted in many hit films like Peruvannapurathe Visheshangal, Nellu, Nirmalyam etc. In her long and distinguished acting career, she enacted important roles in more than 300 films, mostly Malayalam. She last acted in the film Aanum Pennum (2021), following which age-related illness caught up with her and the veteran actress was mostly at home.
Her husband died in 2011 and she had one daughter who is settled in the United States of America. For the last few weeks, she had been ill and mostly confined to a hospital bed as her condition worsened. Artists from the Malayalam film industry reacted to the news of her demise with shock and sadness.
The veteran actress has won numerous awards including the Kerala state government’s prestigious film awards. She was also popular in the television industry. Many actors, who played her on-screen sons and daughters visited Kaviyoor Ponnamma when she was admitted to hospital.
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