RIP Kaviyoor Ponnamma: Rare pictures of the late veteran Malayalam actress from her iconic films

Veteran Malayalam actress Kaviyoor Ponnamma passed away on Friday (Sept 20). She was 79. She breathed her last at 5.33 PM in a private hospital in Kochi. According to a report by PTI, Kaviyoor Ponnamma had been undergoing treatment for cancer since last May. The hospital sources said she was diagnosed with stage four cancer. "She was admitted to the hospital on September 3, but her condition worsened," hospital authorities said in a statement.

Kaviyoor Ponnamma, who was best known for her mother characters, became the quintessential ‘mother’ of Malayalam cinema. In her illustrious career spanning over six decades, she acted in more than 700 films. Kaviyoor Ponnamma leaves behind a legacy and a void that will never be reversed.

Let’s take a look at some of her rare pictures from the films she has acted in.

Kaviyoor Ponnamma played a crucial role in the 1985 film ‘Thinkalazhcha Nalla Divasam’. Directed by Padmarajan, the film featured Mammootty, Kaviyoor Ponnamma, Karamana Janardanan Nair, and Srividya in the lead roles.


This picture shared by the National Film Archive of India (NFAI) during Mother's Week in 2019, features Kaviyoor Ponnamma with her frequent collaborator Mohanlal. The duo have played the role of onscreen mother-son in several films. “Iconic for playing motherly characters Kaviyoor Ponnamma is fondly known as Amma of Malayalam cinema. Her pair with Mohanlal as on-screen mother and son is especially popular. #DidYouKnow: She started playing motherly roles at a very young age and she was just 22 years old when she played the mother of Sathyan and Madhu in Thommente Makkal. #MothersWeek.”


This still is from the Padmarajan film ‘Namukku Parkkan Munthirithoppukal’.


This is yet another rare picture of Kaviyoor Ponnamma with Mammootty and late Karamana Janardanan Nair from their film ‘Thinkalazhcha Nalla Divasam’.

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