Kaviyoor Ponnamma

Kaviyoor Ponnamma 10 September 1945 20 September 2024 was an Indian actress who appeared in Malayalam films and television She began her career performing in theatre dramas before foraying into cinema She also acted in TV serials and commercials and had playback singing credits in few films Ponnamma was a fourtime Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actress winner Often called as the mother to all actors she acted as mother of almost all actors in her career spanning over decades At the age of 20 she played the mother of older actors Sathyan and Madhu in Thommente Makkal 1965 She particularly gained critical acclaim for acting as the mother of Mohanlal As a fiveyearold she learned music and sang in stage shows In 1958 she was spotted by Kerala Peoples Arts Club KPAC who was looking for a girl who can sing in their stage play They also gave her the role of heroine in Mooladhanam her debut stage drama at age 13 It was directed by Thoppil Bhasi After five years came her first movie Kudumbini in which she did the title role of the mother of two children Ponnamma died from cancer at Lissie Hospital in Kochi Kerala on 20 September 2024 at the age of 79