How Mammootty rewrote the rules of stardom yet again in 2023

With Mammootty having one of the best years of his extensive and long career, we dive deep into the roles he essayed in 2023 and why they aren’t particularly a flash in the plan for the legendary veteran actor

At 72, with almost 50 years in the film industry; three National Awards for Best Actor, and the most number of (Kerala) State Film Awards for Best Actor (an honour he shares with Mohanlal) under his belt, the Malayalam film industry’s man of the year 2023, is, without a doubt, Mammootty.

Watching his films this year, we have been akin to the rapt audience in that scene from Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam listening to Mammootty’s Sundaram tell a story. We watched amazed as he shape-shifted from James to Sundaram and back in Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam, became Kannur Squad’s ASI George Martin, and now, a closeted gay man, Mathew Devassy, in Jeo Baby’sKaathal - The Core.

But, here’s the thing about Mammootty; the way he chooses films is not a 2023 phenomenon. This has been his approach and MO all through his career.

Kaathal - The Core happens to be one of those films that grabbed eyeballs and attention outside Kerala as much as it did at home because of the story it told. The sensitive portrayal of homosexuality and same-sex love is heartwarmingly hope-inducing. And when an actor of Mammootty’s heft, artistry and social stature essays the role, the usual hullabaloo around a film pegged on the topic is conspicuously absent.

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The quiet, reserved Mathew Devassy tugs at our heartstrings especially when he breaks down, unable to take the scrutiny his sexuality is being subjected to. When he hugs his father in tears, one completely empathises with the helplessness of a closeted gay man forced to put up appearances. At that point, the audience forgets Mammootty, all we see is a vulnerable, heartbroken man. For a generation that has grown up watching his films, watching him as Mathew is a tectonic shift. While we have seen this Mammootty before, in films such as Pathemari, Vatsalyam, and Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, it was never like this. Even for him, this is a bold choice.

A gay character is not a first in mainstream Malayalam cinema; Prithviraj Sukumaran essayed a gay cop in Mumbai Police (2013) as did Nivin Pauly in Moothon (2019). However, to Jeo Baby and writers Adarsh Sukumaran and Paulson Skaria’s credit, the treatment of the subject, without any stereotyping or cliches, is a first. We ‘get’ the internal conflict of a closeted gay person, and empathise with the impact of their sexuality on their relationships.