Mamukkoya’s legacy more than Malayalam movie memes. His secular politics a shining light

Mamukkoya’s legacy more than Malayalam movie memes. His secular politics a shining light

Witty retorts, fast-paced dialogues and comedy that endures as memes on social media today—the life and career of Malayali actor Mamukkoya continue to reverberate across Kerala’s cinema fandom.

The veteran actor who died at the age of 76 on 26 April 2023, earned the epithet ‘Sultan of Thugs’ from his legions of fans on social media, Mamukkoya has acted in over 400 films, including a French one, in a career spanning almost five decades. MLAs, tea-shop owners, conmen, pickpockets, politicos—Mamukkoya’s characters have made him the quintessential every-man who brought laughter to almost every cinema-goer in Kerala.

“The moment Mamukkoya came to the screen, the audience burst into laughter. We’ve used his dialogues many times in our lives, his humour was so real. Will there be a Malayali who has not said Gafoor Ka Dosth at least once?” wrote P Rajeev, Kerala government minister for industries, coir and law.

His iconic Mappila style of dialogue was found in almost every movie of his.

“I don’t think there were any other actors who held onto their unique way of speaking in cinema for so long,” writes Rajeev, adding that the Malayalam film industry has “lost another great actor with no chance of being emulated.”

Mamukkoya collapsed during the inauguration of a football tournament in Malappuram, where he was the chief guest. After being admitted to a private hospital in Kozhikode, he reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest along with a brain haemorrhage before passing away.

Born in July 1946, in Kozhikode, Mamukkoya started as a labourer in a timber yard, while also taking time out to participate in the local theatre scene. His first appearance on the silver screen was in 1979 with Anyarude Bhoomi. His next role was only four years later. And after 1986, he has been in at least one movie every year.

And in 1987, Mamukkoya carved out an irreplaceable spot in the hearts of Malayali cinephiles with his character Gafoorka in Sathyan Anthikad’s Nadodikkattu. That he was able to stand out in the movie starring Mohanlal and Sreenivasan in the lead is a testament to his ability to breathe life into the smallest of roles. Gafoorka remains a cult favourite across households in Kerala.

“In earlier days, comedy was well written, so we didn’t have much work to do. In some films, we had to put in extra effort,” Mamukkoya told the Malayalam newspaper Mathrubhumi.

The politics of Mamukkoya 

It was only in 2021 that he was able to move beyond comedy in the thriller Kuruthi. He earned critical praise for his role as Moosa Khader, an ailing patriarch whose house becomes a microcosm of communal tensions in the state.

It’s a role that gives a glimpse into his political views, which he never shied away from sharing with the public as well. A strong secularist, Mamukkoya attended protests and meetings across the state, sharing his views on a range of issues.

“We will live and die on the land we were born into, and we don’t need anybody’s permission for that,” he once said on the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) passed by the Parliament of India in 2019.

As the protests surrounding the law were centred around in New Delhi, the veteran actor inaugurated a Shaheen Bagh Square protest organised by the Muslim Youth League in Kerala.

“It doesn’t matter who is organising it, it is my responsibility to be part of an event that stands in solidarity with Shaheen Bagh. Because those protests are for me too. I stand in solidarity with them today, so that my children and grandchildren can live freely and peacefully in this country,” he said during the inauguration.

At another protest against the CAA, Mamukkoya made it clear that the government “cannot do anything against 20 crore” people.

He did not just aim at the government, but also those within his own community who would place restrictions on Muslims in the country.

“The mosque that I go to once announced that we should not eat the food from Hindu houses during Onam. I objected to it. I know that I do not belong to a bad religion,” he emphasised during a public gathering in 2020.

(Edited by Theres Sudeep)