Veteran actor Mamukkoya passes away

Veteran actor Mamukkoya passed away on Wednesday at the age of 76. He collapsed recently during the inauguration of a football tournament at Wandoor in Malappuram. While he was quickly rushed to a hospital in Wandoor, he was later moved to a private hospital in Kozhikode. Though he was stable and responding to the treatment, his condition worsened after he suffered a cardiac arrest followed by a hemorrhage. He breathed his last by Wednesday afternoon.

In a career spanning over four decades, Mamukkoya acted in more than 450 Malayalam films, a few Tamil films, a National award winning Beary film, Byari, and a French film titled ‘Flammens of Paradise’. In 2004, he received a Special Mention in the Kerala State Film Award for his performance in ‘Perumazhakkalam’. He also receive the State government’s first comedian award for ‘Innathe Chinthavishayam’.

Mamukkoya’s distinct usage of the Malabari accent made him a favourite among Malayalis. He was part of the golden age of Malayalam cinema — the late 80s and 90s — as he rubbed shoulders with other legendary character actors like Thilakan, Jagathy Sreekumar, Murali, Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Innocent, Sukumari, Karamana Janardhanan etc.

Mamukkoya’s mortal remains were kept at the Kozhikode Town Hall, where hundreds paid their tributes. His funeral rites will be held today in his hometown. He is survived by his wife Suhara and their four children, Muhammed Nisar, Shahitha, Nadiya and Abdul Rasheed.