Mamukkoya: An actor who popularised the innocence of Mappila culture through Malayalam cinema

Mamukkoya earned the epithet ‘Sultan of thug dialogues’ with his sheer fast-paced Mappila style of dialogue delivery.

The death of actor Mamukkoya brought an end to an era of bona fide representation of north Malabar Mappila culture in Malayalam cinema. He popularized the innocence and ruggedness of a culture that the Muslims of Malabar take pride in.

Although there are quite a number of Muslim actors in Malayalam cinema, Mamukkoya’s was the quintessential Mappila voice. Even Kuthiravattam Pappu, who brandished his Kozhikode slang with great elan until he died in 2000, could not step into the intimate Mappila space that Mamukkoya carved.

For Mamukkoya, the roles did not matter whether it was Muslim or not. The moment he opened his mouth, he would entertain the audience with his unique style of dialogue. That’s perhaps why he famously says in one of his films: “All Maharshis born in Malabar will be speaking like me.” And no wonder this dialogue sent his audiences into peals of laughter.

Mamukkoya earned the epithet ‘Sultan of thug dialogues’ with his sheer fast-paced Mappila style of dialogue delivery. Though diminutive and unimposing in appearance, his puckish way of dialogue delivery earned him a deeper and unique niche in Malayalam films.

Mamukkoya never considered himself aloof from the public. A secular-minded individual to the core, Mamukkoya mingled with all types of people. Hundreds of Facebook and Instagram users shared their pictures with Mamukkoya on social media when news spread about his death. “That says a lot about his connectivity with ordinary people like me,” said Harish P.K., a socialite from Vadakkumbad, Mannur.

At social gatherings, he used to be seen posing for photos and selfies with anyone who wanted. The people of his place, Arakkinar, will now miss his regular stroll along the Beypore-Kozhikode road. His craze for football too was known to his fans.

They gathered around him wherever he went to watch the sevens football match. And it may be providential that his last function happened to be a football tournament at Kalikavu, where he collapsed while taking photos with his supporters. But more than his down-to-earth behaviour, Mamukkoya will live in the hearts of Malayalis through the characters that he immortalised.