Legendary actress Kaviyoor Ponnamma, who has been considered as the epitome of motherhood in Malayalam cinema, passed away at a private hospital in Kochi on Friday at the age of 79. She was under treatment for cancer at the hospital .
Kaviyoor Ponnamma’s acting journey began on the stage before she transitioned to films, where her immense talent flourished.
Ponnamma, who starred in over 700 Malayalam films, began acting in the movies in the early 60s and she played mother to late veteran actor Sathyan when she was just 20 years old. She was most famously known for playing mother to leading actors of different generations, from Prem Nazir, who was many years her senior, to Mohanlal and Mammootty in the 80s and 90s and later to younger stars like Prithviraj.
Her pairing with Mohanlal as mother and son is cited as one of the favourite duos of Mollywood
Her last film ‘Aanum Pennum’, an anthology of three short films, was released in 2021 In this film,she paired opposite Nedumudi Venu to play a mischievous old couple having cruel fun at the expense of a younger one.
Some of her noticeable characters came in Kizhakkunarum Pakshi, Adhipan, His Highness Abdulla, Thinkalazhcha Nalla Divasam, Kireedam, Sandesham, Amma Ammayiamma, Nandanam, Ammakkilikoodu and so on