Mamukkoya (5 July 1946 – 26 April 2023) was an Indian actor known for his work predominately in

Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam, Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both th ...

. He mostly appeared in comedic roles. His unique usage of Kozhikode dialect and style marked his presence in the industry. In a career spanning over four decades, Mamukkoya acted in more than 450

Malayalam film Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both the mainstream film industry ...

s and was the first winner of the State award for best comedian in Malayalam cinema.

Early life

Mamukkoya was born to Chalikandiyil Muhammed and Imbachi Ayisha on 5 July 1946 in

Kozhikode Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature. It is the nineteenth large ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

. He had an elder brother Koyakutty. He had his primary education from MM High School, Calicut. Mamukkoya began working at a timber yard in

Kallayi Kallai (or Kallayi) is a suburb of Kozhikode on the banks of Kallai River which links with the Chaliyar river on the south by a man-made canal. It is in the Kozhikode district of Kerala in south India and is noted for timber trading. Durin ...

after completing his education at Pallikandi Elementary School, Kuttichira Higher Secondary School, and Kozhikode MM School. He participated in theatrical productions when he was in school. Later, he began performing in a number of amateur plays. He would perform in plays at night and work in the timber yard in the morning.

Career

Mamukkoya started his career as a theatre actor. He got his chance in the film industry through ''

Anyarude Bhoomi ''Anyarude Bhoomi'' () is a 1979 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Nilambur Balan and produced by Unmachithra. The film stars Chowalloor Krishnankutty, Nilambur Balan, Amina and Kozhikode Sharada in the lead roles. The film has musical ...

'' (1979). His second entry to Malayalam cinema was through S. Konnanatt's '' Surumaitta Kannukal''. He was recommended by

Vaikom Muhammad Basheer Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (21 January 1908 – 5 July 1994), popularly referred to as the Beypore Sultan, was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature, a humanist and an Indian independence activist. He was a novelist and short story writer not ...

for the role in the movie. After this film, he was introduced to

Sathyan Anthikkad Sathyan Anthikad is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and lyricist who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. In a career spanning five decades he has directed more than 50 films, been the lyricist for 12 films and been the scriptwriter ...

by scriptwriter and actor

Sreenivasan Sreenivasan (born 6 April 1956) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, dubbing artist and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Sreenivasan has starred in over 225 films. Sreenivasan wrote the screenplays of films such a ...

. Mamukkoya appeared in

Siby Malayil Siby may refer to: * Siby (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name) * Siby, Mali, a village and rural commune in the Cercle of Kati, Koulikoro Region, Mali * Siby Department, a commune of Balé Province, Burkina Fas ...

's Doore Doore Oru Koodu Koottam, written by

. In the film, he played an Arabic teacher. Initially, the character only appeared in two or three scenes. However, Mamukkoya's performance impressed the makers who added further scenes for his role. Mamukkoya would later say that after this movie he stopped going to the timber yard or appearing in plays. He then landed a role in Gandhinagar Second Street, which was also written by Sreenivasan. This was one of his first notable roles. Then came

Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam ''Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam'' () is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-drama film directed by Sathyan Anthikkad and written by Sreenivasan from a story by Anthikkad. The film stars Mohanlal, Karthika (Malayalam actress), Karthika, Sree ...

' and '

Rareeram ''Rareeram'' is a 1986 Indian Malayalam film, directed by Sibi Malayil and produced by Appachan. The film stars Mammootty, Shobhana, Nedumudi Venu and Geetha in the lead roles. The film has musical score by Kodakara Madhavan. Cast *Mammootty ...

' by Siby Malayil. His portrayal of ''Gafoor'' in

Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (; born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor and filmmaker who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hin ...

–

starring ''

Nadodikkattu ''Nadodikkattu'' () is a 1987 Indian Malayalam-language satirical comedy film directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by Sreenivasan based on a story by the Siddique–Lal duo. It stars Mohanlal and Sreenivasan in the lead roles, along with an ...

'' (1987) carved a niche for him in Malayalam cinema. The character ''Gafoor'' now enjoys a

cult Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...

following in

. An animation series was released based on this character after several years. His award-winning performance in ''

Perumazhakkalam ''Perumazhakkalam'' () is a 2004 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by Kamal and written by T. A. Razzaq. It stars Meera Jasmine, Kavya Madhavan, Dileep, Vineeth, and Biju Menon. The film's music was composed by M. Jayachandran. T ...

'' (2004) proved that he can handle non-comedy roles as well with ease. He again did a similar role in

Byari The Beary (also known as Byari) are a community concentrated along the southwest coast of India, mostly in the Mangalore district of the south Indian state of Karnataka. The Beary community of Tulunadu is one among the earliest Muslim i ...

, which won the

National Film Award for Best Feature Film The National Film Award for Best Feature Film is one of the categories in the National Film Awards presented annually by the National Film Development Corporation of India, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in I ...

. He did the title role in the film ''Korappan, the great'' (2001), which depicted him as a forest brigand like

Veerappan Koose Munisamy Veerappan (18 January 1952 – 18 October 2004) was an Indian poacher, smuggler, domestic terrorist and Banditry, bandit who was active for 36 years, and kidnapped major politicians for ransom. He was charged with sandalwoo ...

. In 2004, he received a Special Mention in the

Kerala State Film Award The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a cinema of kerala, motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs (Kerala), Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and sin ...

for the movie ''

''. Mamukkoya's roles in Ramjirao Speaking,

Thalayana Manthram ''Thalayana Manthram'' () is a 1990 Indian Malayalam comedy-drama film directed by Sathyan Anthikkad and written by Sreenivasan. The film stars Sreenivasan, Urvashi, Jayaram, and Parvathy. Urvashi's performance as Kanchana received widespread a ...

, Shubhayatra,

Irupatham Noottandu ''Irupatham Noottandu'' () is a 1987 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by K. Madhu, written by S. N. Swamy and produced by M. Mani. It stars Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi, and Ambika. The film's music was composed by Shyam. I ...

, Sreedharante Onnam Thirumurivu, Ponmuttayidunna Thaaravu,

Pattanapravesham ''Pattanapravesham'' () is a 1988 Indian Malayalam-language Detective fiction, detective Comedy film, comedy film directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by Sreenivasan. It stars Mohanlal, Sreenivasan, Karamana Janardhanan Nair, Karamana Janar ...

and

Dhwani ''Dhwani (ധ്വനി)'' (meaning sound, melody or music) is a 1988 Malayalam-language musical romance film directed by A. T. Abu. It was the last completed film of veteran actor and evergreen hero of Malayalam cinema Prem Nazir who died on ...

are considered among the best of his career.

Personal life and death

Mamukkoya was married to Suhara. The couple had four children; Muhammed Nisar, Shahitha, Nadiya and Abdul Rasheed. He was residing in

near

Beypore Beypore or Beypur (, formerly Beypoor) is an ancient port town and a locality town in Kozhikode district in the state of Kerala, India. It is located opposite to Chaliyam, the estuary where the river Chaliyar empties into the Arabian Sea. Beyp ...

. Mamukkoya had a very close friendship with

S. K. Pottekkatt Sankarankutty Kunjiraman Pottekkatt (14 March 1913 – 6 August 1982) was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature, traveller, and politician from Kerala. Best known for his travelogues, he has authored nearly 60 books, which include 10 novels, ...

and

M. S. Baburaj Mohammad Sabir Baburaj (3 March 1929 – 7 October 1978) was an Indian music composer. He is often credited for the renaissance of Malayalam cinema, Malayalam film music. Baburaj has rendered music to many evergreen Malayalam film songs. Earl ...

. On 24 April 2023, while inaugurating a sevens football tournament in

Kalikavu Kalikavu is a town in the Nilambur taluk of Malappuram district in Kerala state, South India. Kalikavu, like the neighbouring town of Nilambur, is also known for its rubber plantations. Coconut, Black pepper, pepper, areca nut, and teak are also ...

, Malappuram, Kerala, Mamukkoya suffered cardiac arrest and a

brain hemorrhage The brain is an organ (biology), organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head (cephalization), usually near organs for ...

. He died at a private hospital in

on 26 April 2023, aged 76.

Awards

Filmography

Malayalam

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Other language films

Television

* ''Manasi'' (

Doordarshan Doordarshan (), abbreviated as DD, is India's State-owned enterprise, state-owned public broadcasting, public television broadcaster. Established by the Government of India on 15 September 1959, it is owned by the Ministry of Information and B ...

) * ''Chiri Arangu'' (

Surya Comedy Channel Sun TV Network Limited is a Indian media company, headquartered in Chennai. It is a part of Sun Group and was established on 14 April 1993 by Kalanithi Maran. It owns a variety of television channels and radio stations in multiple languages. I ...

) * ''Cinemala'' (

Asianet Asianet may refer to: JioStar channels * JioStar, is an Indian media conglomerate wholly owned by Disney India. ** Asianet, a Malayalam language general entertainment channel ** Asianet Plus, a Malayalam language general entertainment channel ** As ...

) as Gafoor (recreation of

character in one of the episode) * ''Akkare Ikkare'' (2009)

) *''Santhanagopalam'' (2005)

) *''

Badai Bungalow ''Badai Bungalow'' () is an Indian Malayalam sketch comedy and celebrity talk show hosted by Ramesh Pisharody, Mithun Ramesh, and Kalabhavan Navas that launched on Asianet from 2013. It airs every Saturday and Sunday at 8:00 PM. The second ...

'' (

) as Guest *''Star Magic'' (2021) (

Flowers Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

) as Guest

Short films

* Native Bappa by Mappila Lahala * Al Moidu by Zakeen TV * Funeral of Native Son by Bodhi Silent Scape

References

External links

* * Memoirs written by Film Star Mamukkoya with Thaha Madayi Publisher: DC Books, Kottayam Pages: 102 Paperback
Jeevitham: Mamukkoya/Kozhikode കല്ലായിക്കൂപ്പില്‍ അളവുകാരന്‍, നാടക നടന്‍, സിനിമാ നടന്‍ ഇങ്ങനെ ജീവിതത്തില്‍ വ്യത്യസ്‌ത റോളുകള്‍ ചെയ്‌ത മാമുക്കോയയുടെ ജീവിതകഥയുടെ രണ്ടാം ഭാഗം. പഴയ കോഴിക്കോടന്‍ ജീവിതത്തിലെ ചില സംഭവങ്ങളെയും വ്യക്‍തികളെയും ഓര്‍ത്തെടുക്കുകയാണ് മാമുക്കോയ ഇതില്‍.
{{authority control 1946 births 2023 deaths 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian male actors Indian male film actors Male actors from Kozhikode Kerala State Film Award winners Male actors in Malayalam cinema Malayalam comedians Indian male comedians Indian Muslims Male actors in Malayalam television Indian male television actors People from Kozhikode district Kerala Film Critics Awards winners