When Kalamkaval star Mammootty named his most ‘favourite’ role, movie; revealed why no two of his performances look alike

Only in SCREEN | The actor who aspired to become Marlon Brando but ended up being Mammootty instead: An exploration of Kalamkaval star’s grey roles

A complete outsider with no prior connection to the cinema industry, Mammootty made his on-screen debut in 1971, making an uncredited appearance in director KS Sethumadhavan’s Anubhavangal Paalichakal, starring Sathyan, Prem Nazeer, and Sheela in the lead roles. While he made a similar appearance in the 1973 film Kaalachakram, he had to wait seven years to land his first proper role. Since then, Mammootty has been an integral part of Malayalam cinema.

In a prolific career spanning over five decades, he has appeared in over 400 films across major Indian languages, as well as English, winning three National Film Awards for Best Actor — the second-most by any thespian in the country, a record he shares with Kamal Haasan and Ajay Devgn. Despite enjoying a long and successful career, appearing in many blockbusters and classics, Mammootty once revealed that he actually has a character and a movie that are closest to his heart.

Watch Kalamkaval trailer here:

During a 2003 Kairali TV interview, when asked if he had a favourite character in his repertoire — one he felt fortunate to have portrayed — Mammootty immediately named his role as Madhavankutty Menon in director M Azad’s Vilkkanundu Swapnangal (1980), written by MT Vasudevan Nair. For the unversed, this was his first credited role. “If not for that movie and role, would I have been here today? That’s the best role I have done to date,” he said courteously.

As the conversation continued, Mammootty also delved deeply into his acting process, responding to the observation by many that he isn’t a “born actor,” a view he has often agreed with. “I am not a born actor… I may be an ‘appetising actor.’ I became and continue to be an actor because of my desires. Whatever I do on screen is a result of my efforts and strain. I keenly observe, identify, and approach my characters intelligently. I always have an intellectual approach to my characters. Aside from the character’s emotional and mental affairs, I also enter their mind. That’s why no two performances of mine look alike. One character is not a continuation of the previous one. That’s why one can notice the metamorphosis from one to the other,” he pointed out.

Mammootty in Kalamkaval. (Credit: Facebook/@Mammootty)

Mammootty added, “It’s because I am extremely careful and move thoughtfully that such things are possible. I don’t do a character in haste. Every time I perform a scene, deliver a line, or take an action, it is always after thorough preparation. There’s a graph (for a character). If we are careless, that graph may go wrong; that’s when we fail.”

Also starring Vinayakan, Rajisha Vijayan, Gibin Gopinath, Gayatri Arun and Shruti Ramachandran in key roles, Kalamkaval is produced by the megastar’s Mammootty Kampany. It features music by Mujeeb Majeed, cinematography by Faisal Ali, and editing by Praveen Prabhakar.

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