Mammootty: The Malayalam maverick maestro of modern masterpieces

If Amitabh Bachchan were Sanjeev Kumar, he would be Mammootty. Malayalam cinema’s treasured pride, fastened at the hip with Mohanlal, is a superstar who blends into every role he plays. Normally, it’s the other way with superstars. Mammootty doesn’t think of himself as a star, let alone a superstar. And he isn’t faking it.

Mammootty is an actor of reformative abilities. He can change in front of our eyes from a boorish, uncouth  misogynistic cop in Kasaba to a loving though disturbingly distant father, Peranbu. Mammootty as the empathetic father to a specially abled daughter in Peranbu is so sensitive to the girl’s anatomy and its changes that she cannot comprehend; it’s almost like he’s exchanging places with his daughter to feel her pain. He gently feeds her, makes faces to humour her, and cleans a dirty bathroom with his own hands so she can use it.

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Kamal Haasan in Sadma couldn’t have done more for Sridevi even if he tried. To his credit, Mammootty  manages to manoeuvre his saintly character into the hemisphere of the human. Mammootty shines in every  frame, as only the most skilled actor can. His eyes convey aeons of pain and resignation. It ‘s the look of a man who has come to terms with his immovable destiny of doom.

There are no enduring glimmers of hope in Mammootty’s character, Amudhavan’s life in Peranbu. His wife has left him to let him look after their spastic daughter, who is quite a handful. She is whiny, demanding, and unreasonable.

My other favourite Mammootty performance from his recent films is the one in One. In Santosh Vishwanath’s One, Mammootty devotees were thrilled when they got to see  their idol playing the Chief  Minister of Kerala. Happily, Mammootty doesn’t pay to the galleries. The thundering thespian does not  make his entry until half an hour into the plot. And what a grand entry it is!

Self-control is in short supply in this bombastic drama. But with Mammootty around, the rest of the cast has no other option but to tone it down. Mammootty is quietly powerful, restrained and indignant, bridled and  yet impatient to break free from the restrictions that politics places on those who want to make a difference. A little bit more of that self-control we see in Mammoothy’s performance would have gone a long way in humanising the film beyond its towering protagonist.

Unlike the sons of certain superstars in Mumbai, Mammootty’ son Dulquer Salmaan is an actor in his own right. Dulquer says his performances had to be different from his father’s.

“I couldn’t possibly do what he had already done. He has a larger-than-life image. It made no sense to walk in his footsteps. There is nothing like a ‘born actor’. It’s all about honing the skills. I chose my own path because that was the only way to go. At the same time, I’ve to admit  there was an advantage in being my father’s son. The debut film came much easier to me than it would have if I were an outsider.”

For those fans  of Mammootty who are hoping to see him on screen with his son, there is bad news. Dulquer says he is not inclined to oblige. “The thought has crossed the minds of many filmmakers. We’ve had quite a  few offers to work together. But no. I don’t think that’s a good idea. The comparisons would be  unacceptable to me. So, unless it is something that offers a truly special challenge for us to come together, it is unlikely that we will work together.”