On August 6, Mollywood star Mammootty completed 50 years in the industry. Social media has been filled with wishes from celebrities and fans alike. Actor Mohanlal, who has teamed up with Mammootty for over 50 films, took to Twitter on Friday to congratulate the latter and celebrate his success.
Mohanlal shared a photo which features him hugging his friend Mammootty and kissing him on his cheek. Congratulating his ‘brother’ Mammootty for completing 50 glorious years in the industry, Mohanlal wrote: “Today, my brother completes 50 glorious years in the film industry. I feel so proud to have shared the screen with him in 55 memorable films and looking forward to many more. Congratulations Ichakka! @mammukka.” In response, Mammootty, who is also lovingly known as Mammukka, tweeted, “Thank you dear lal.”
Celebrating Mammootty’s success in the film industry, Prithviraj too shared a screengrab from one of his on-screen appearances with the actor and extended his wishes. “50 years of absolute commitment to the craft and medium! Half a century of one of world cinema’s greats! @mammootty,” Prithviraj wrote on Friday.
Mammootty made his first on screen appearance as a child artist in the 1971 Malayalam movie Anubhavangal Paalichakal. Scripted by Thoppil Bhasi and directed by KS Sethumadhavan, the cast included actors Sathyan, Prem Nazeer, Sheela and KPAC Lalitha, among others. It is touted to be one of the best Malayalam films from the '70s. Mammootty recently shared a colour-corrected version of a screengrab from his first ever screen appearance in the film. Mammootty, who appears as a young boy, is seen with a bruised lip in the photograph. The movie Anubhavangal Paalichakal is based on a novel of the same name written by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai.
Thank you dear lal https://t.co/eVBhPTBWXC
— Mammootty (@mammukka) August 6, 2021
50 years of absolute commitment to the craft and medium! Half a century of one of world cinema’s greats! ❤️ @mammukka pic.twitter.com/S9lUZ74RMb
— Prithviraj Sukumaran (@PrithviOfficial) August 6, 2021
In his career spanning over five decades, he went on to act in several films that were both critically acclaimed as well as commercially successful. The long list of successful films includes Thaniyavarthanam, Vidheyan, Mathilukal, Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, The King, Valiyettan, Mrigaya and Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja, among others.
Mammootty has won the National Award under the category of best actor three times. He bagged the first one in 1989, for his performance in Mathilukal and Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, followed by the National Award for his roles in the 1993 films Ponthan Mada and Vidheyan. He also received the prestigious award the third time for the film Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. Mammootty has also been conferred with Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in the country, in the year 1998.
While a section of Mammukka’s fans took a trip down the memory lane and recollected some of his best performances on social media, some also expressed their astonishment at how he has managed to look young and maintain consistency in his look over the years. Recently, netizens were astounded by Mammootty’s workout selfies. Co-workers also appreciated the 69-year-old actor’s commitment to fitness at this age. Fans used hashtags such as #50YearsOfMammoottysm and #Mammoottysmm to celebrate the occasion.
He is currently working on upcoming films such as Bheeshma Parvam and Agent.