Mammootty in a Comic Role

Courtesy: en.wikipedia.org/

Once they became established actors, Malayalam movies for a long time, were termed as either Mammootty's movies or those of Mohanlal's. They, undoubtedly, have had quite a tenure in the Malayalam film industry. "Mohanlal's a versatile and natural actor... Mammootty can't do comedy." are among the zillion comments that I have heard in my growing up phase.

I remember that it was more than a mere oft repeated statement - it was a belief. This mental verdict also discussed that it was Mamootty's sophisticated looks that failed him when it came to comedy. I tell this with conviction because when I watched Pranjiettan and the Saint, I caught myself commenting that Mammooty has improved so much - he's done great comedy.

Was that actually true? Was Mammooty really bad at comedy all along?

In his interview with Johnny Lukos (Manorama News), he mentioned that he was known for mimicry and stuff in college and that this impression about him is a by product of the fact that in most of his earlier films itself he had family, kids, etc. Probably...

For fun sake, I took a peek to check if Pranjiettan was indeed his only comedy that I ever enjoyed. My mental exercise gave me quite a few movies which I thoroughly enjoyed. Since this isn't a research attempt, I did not dig in more than I had to. So, here's discussing a few of Mammootty's comic appearances which I have found hilarious...

1. Film: Nandi Veendum Varika
    Year: 1986
    Director: P.G Vishwambaran   Character: Mohandas (A parallel college lecturer turned Sub Inspector of Police)
I couldn't find how this film fared at the box office, which probably is in itself an evidence to the fact that it didn't do all that well. But, his performance is undoubtedly excellent. I have memories of this movie giving me ample to laugh when I was young. I watched it again recently to recheck. Mammooty's subtle expressions did its magic...

2. Film: Kottayam Kunjachan
    Year: 1990
    Director: T.S Suresh Babu   Character: Title Role (A thug who strives to live a good life)

Kunjachan has made me laugh when I was 13 and he makes me laugh each time I see the movie. His dialogue delivery, mannerisms and even fighting techniques in this movie are hilarious!

3. Film: Rajamanikyam
    Year: 2005
    Director: Anwar Rasheed   Character: Bellary Raja (an illiterate but extremely rich and gaudy business man)

This movie is extremely stereotype and is absolutely predictable. If it grossed a good 27 crore, the main contributing factor would be the witty dialogues and Mammooty's performance. Bellary Raja, in my opinion, would have fit Mohanlal effortlessly. However, I do believe that the profit the movie made owed a lot to the fact that the crowd judged it as an exemplary performance solely because it came from Mamootty.

4. Film: Loudspeaker
    Year: 2009
    Director: Jayaraj   Character: Philippose aka Mike (an extremely loud simpleton with a splendid sense of       humor)

This movie has barely few instances of comedy owing to situations. In my opinion, Philippose aka Mike, is not just the backbone of the movie; he is what makes you smile and chuckle. He makes you want to believe in the simple things life brings your way.

5. Film: Pranjiettan and the Saint
    Year: 2010
    Director: Ranjith
   Character: C.K Francis aka Aripranji (a successful buisness man based in Thrissur)

I'd like to wind up my post with my personal favourite. Out of all the Mammootty starrer comedies that I have seen, the one that I have loved the most so far is Aripranji. I love the way Mammootty has balanced out the dignity of a high class business man and at the same time portraying all those insecurities he has within him. Love the expressions - phenomenal performance!

Neither am I part of anybody's fan club nor am I biased about either Mammootty or Mohanlal. I am of the opinion that both of these superstars have had their share of successes and failures. This post is simply a self reminder that one may never want to judge a book by its cover...