Happy birthday Mammootty: The actor’s best films from past and future

Almost 40 years in cinema, over 100 films starring him, but does that mean Mammootty, Mammukka to his fans, is ready to slow down? The short answer is no. The Malayalam superstar, with a solid body of work in Tamil films too, still rolls out four films a year, many of whom go on to rewrite box office records in Kerala. As Mammootty turns 67 today, we bring you his three upcoming films and five past projects that not only are box office darlings but also changed the landscape of the film industry.

Mammootty’s upcoming projects

Peranbu (Tamil)

One of the most awaited films from Mammootty’s repertoire, Ram’s Peranbu premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam while its Asia premiere took place at the Shanghai International Film Festival. The film is about a father rediscovering himself after a life-changing experience; the title of the film means compassion.

Bilal (Malayalam)

Sequel to Mammootty’s 2007 hit film Big B, the film has the actor playing the role of Bilal John Kurishinkal. Directed by Amal Neerad, the first iteration was a crime thriller and the official remake of English film Four Brothers. So when Amal announced the sequel and Mammootty’s son Dulquer Salmaan, a fan of Big B himself, shared the first look poster there was no keeping calm.

Yatra (Telugu)

Yatra is a Telugu biopic of politician YS Rajasekhara Reddy, popularly referred to as YSR. The biopic stars Mammootty as the politician and is being directed by Mahi Vraghav.

Here are Mammootty’s five most outstanding films till now…

Thalapathy

Directed by Mani Ratnam, Thalapathy is a cult classic that has a huge fan following among cinema buffs. The film, inspired by Mahabharata, stars Mammootty as Devaraj and his character is inspired by Duryodhana. Rajinikanth plays the role of Surya, a role inspired by Karna. The film is about their friendship and the things that they go through together in life.

Kandukondein Kandukondein

Directed by Rajiv Menon, this romance did not perform well at the box office at the time of release. With a stunning cast including Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Tabu, Ajith, Mammootty and Abbas, the film dealt with the progression of relationships between two couples. Mammootty played a Major who is injured on the field and takes to bottle after retirement; he was paired opposite Aishwarya in the film.

Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha

Many of Mammotty’s hit films were written by MT Vasudevan Nair and Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha happens to be one of them. The period drama came out in 1989 and is one of the first few successes of the actor. Balan K. Nair, Suresh Gopi, Madhavi, Geetha and Captain Raju played a pivotal part in the film that won four National Awards. Directed by Hariharan, the film is about the Chekavar warriors who were trained in Kalaripayattu and were forced to duel till death to solve disputes between kings.

Dhruvam

In Dhruvam, Mammootty played the role of Narasimha Mannadiyar in this thriller also starring Suresh Gopi and Gautami Tadimalla in pivotal roles. The film stars Mammootty as the respected elder, who once ruled the hamlet. What makes him tick and how he became a person of interest in a crime forms the crux of the film.

Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar

This film starred Mammootty as BR Ambedkar and the English language film was directed by Jabbar Patel. The film was about the life and times of the man who drafted India’s Constitution. Sonali Kulkarni, Mrinal Kulkarni and Nawazuddin Siddiqui played important roles in the film.

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First Published: Sep 07, 2018 11:54 IST