Manju Warrier: I never got the chance to play Kaviyoor Ponnamma chechi's daughter in a film

Veteran Malayalam actress Kaviyoor Ponnamma passed away on Friday, September 20. She was 79. Known for her mother roles in films, Kaviyoor Ponnamma was adored by the movie buffs and her colleagues alike. Superstar Manju Warrier was devastated to learn about Kaviyoor Ponnamma’s demise. Though Manju Warrier has never acted as Kaviyoor Ponnamma’s daughter on-screen, they shared a great bond off-screen.

Taking to social media, Manju Warrier wrote a heart-breaking note, that reads, "I never had the opportunity to play Kaviyoor Ponnamma chechi's daughter in a film, it is something I often think about with great regret. In Malayalam cinema, Ponnamma chechi is like a mother. Very few actors have not portrayed her children on screen, and I am one of them. In cinema, Ponnamma chechi is like the mother I never had. That's why I don't have any memories of us being together."

Manju Warrier also added that though she has never acted as Kaviyoor Ponnamma’s daughter on-screen, she experienced maternal affection from the veteran, “I acted alongside her sister, Kaviyoor Renuka chechi, in the film 'Kannezhuthi Pottum Thottu'. From certain angles, Renuka chechi resembles Ponnamma chechi. During the shooting, I felt like Ponnamma chechi was right before me. Right from my childhood, I've only ever seen Ponnamma chechi as a mother in films. To make everyone watching yearn for a mother like her—that's the beauty of Ponnamma chechi's acting. Whenever I saw her, it felt like someone stepped onto the screen straight from our courtyard, kitchen, or prayer room.”

She also spoke about Kaviyoor Ponnamma’s acting style, “Her style was so natural; it wasn't acting, it was the demeanour of a mother. With Ponnamma chechi's passing, the last link in the lineage of such mothers is also gone. Sukumari amma, Meena chechi, Srividya amma, KPAC Lalitha chechi—all the mothers we loved from yesteryear have departed. When mothers leave, children become orphans. Malayalam cinema is experiencing that very same orphanhood at this moment."


Kaviyoor Ponnamma’s funeral will be held today, September 21, in the evening at her residence in Aluva.
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