Left alone in the twilight years

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Hers is a story of neglect. Neyyattinkara Komalam, 88, who shared screen space as Prem Nazir's first heroin, now lives a life of obvious abandon. Her house is in dire straits. She lives with her brother's wife Nalini, who is 77 years old. Komalam lost her husband six years into their marriage and she was left childless.

She says she left her acting career because her family members were not supportive. 'You are a girl and girls from good ancestral homes do not enter films. My mother was not willing to take me to the sets. My brothers were also not supportive,' she said which is why she quit her passion after acting in five films.
She speaks about the past years with a tinge of nostalgia. "My sister's husband was a manager at Sreekrisha talkies. It was a thatched house with a small room for a projector and was owned by K M K Menon, father of actor Ravikumar. The crew of the movie Nalla Thanka came to meet my sister's husband. That is when the crew accidentally saw me.

They asked me to attend the interview where I got selected. My parents did not let me act in that film.  After this, I received a call to attend an interview for Vanamala movie. This time, I acted," she said.
 Vanamala released in 1951 was the first 'jungle movie' in Malayalam. Her next movie was Aathmasanthi released in 1952. Her third film was 'Marumakal' released in 1952 which marked the entry of Prem Nazir. She acted as his heroine in the film. Her fourth film 'Sandehi' released in 1954, while Newspaper Boy, released 1955 was the first neo-realistic movie of Malayalam cinema industry. After taking a long break, she acted in three serials during the '80s.

Komalalm received an honorary membership in Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) in 1994. She receives H5,000 from the organisation every month. "The money is sufficient for my daily needs," she said.

She recalls a funny incident. "I had a baby in Athmashanthi. When I returned back from the sets, one of my neighbours asked me where the baby was. People were not educated then and were of the perception that we lived the same life as in the movies," she said.

Komalam's father Chandrasekaran Menon worked as a PWD section officer. Her mother was Kunjiyamma who was a teacher. Komalam is the fifth daughter among seven children.The yesteryear actor is still recovering from a deadly bout of dengue fever. "This is my second life," said Komalam. As a word of advice to the new generation of actors, she said, "Set goals for your life. Don't give away your dreams at any cost."