Minister Saji Cherian said that the state government would felicitate screen icon Mammootty who has completed 50 glorious years in Indian cinema. He said in the legislative assembly that a special event would be organized to honor the award winning actor.
It was fifty years ago, in Anubhavangal Palichakal, that Mammootty’s face had appeared on screen for the first time. However, he had waited nine more years to make his debut as a lead actor in Vilkanundu Swapnangal. Anubhavangal Palichakal starring Sathyan and Sheela in the main roles was released on 6 August 1971. Quite ironically, Mammootty’s first movie is often remembered as the last movie of another legendary actor, Sathyan.
In Anubhavanagal Palichakal, Mammootty’s character doesn’t have a name or any dialogues. He appears as an onlooker in a crowd. So, some people say that this film cannot be considered his first movie. Recently, Mammootty had a shared a picture of his younger self in which he sports a razor thin moustache. The picture that has since gone viral is apparently from a scene in this movie.
Mammootty made his entry as a lead actor in Vilkanundu Swapnangal which was released in 1980. It was in this movie that his name appeared on the title card for the first time. Vilkanundu Swapnangal penned by MT Vasudevan Nair and directed by Asad is widely considered as the mega star’s debut movie. By amazingly playing the role of Madhavankutty, Mammootty had carved a niche for himself in the Malayalam cinema. Mammootty himself has noted Anubhavangal Palichakal as his first movie in his memoirs Chamayangal Illathe.
“The shooting was held at Cherthala. Makeup man KV Bhaskaran’s assistant sprayed eu de cologne on my face. I wore my mundu carelessly and folded my shirt’s sleeves too. I ran my fingers through the hair to make it messy. I wanted to shine in that role so that I could get more offers and become a super star,” Mammootty recalls his first acting experience.
