Kaviyoor Ponnamma’s nuanced portrayals of motherhood reflected the complex realities of Kerala's changing society, going beyond stereotypical maternal roles to reveal deep emotional layers and contradictions. Janaky Sreedharan shares a personal note…

Kaviyoor Ponnamma,  (10 September 1945 – 20 September 2024), the legendary Malayalam actor, redefined motherhood on screen through her six-decade-long career. Unlike the stereotypical maternal roles in Indian cinema, Ponnamma brought a unique depth and complexity to each character, reflecting the societal transitions in Kerala. She portrayed maternal figures that were neither one-dimensional nor purely sacrificial, often revealing the flaws, vulnerabilities, and strength of motherhood. Her performances in films like Nirmalyam and Thaniyavarthanam remain etched in cinematic history, challenging patriarchal ideals and showcasing the emotional turbulence of women in traditional family structures. As Janaky Sreedharan reflects on her legacy, it becomes clear that Kaviyoor Ponnamma's roles continue to resonate, making her an iconic figure in Indian cinema.

When Kaviyoor Ponnamma, the legendary Malayalam film actor, passed away recently at the age of 79, she had been a mother to many generations of actors on screen. Her film career, posthumously dissected, analysed, and critiqued, revealed more than her incredible journey in cinema. The tributes were ambivalent—they vacillated between fulsome appreciation and half-hearted praise. Playing a mother on the Indian screen is often considered an easy, breezy performance, invoking clichéd patterns of dedication, patience, sacrifice, and selflessness. Nirupa Roy was once a pan-Indian ideal, with actors from regional language films contributing to the idea of maternal figures true to the cultural spaces they represented.

True, Kaviyoor Ponnamma's departure after a phenomenal six-decade flourishing career was predictably mourned by the Malayalam film community as the loss of a much-cherished mother figure. However, critics, who were also her admirers, lamented that she was often confined to the persona of an upper-caste, idealized motherhood. Her mother roles were generalized as conforming to conservative patriarchal notions of a mother’s role in a male-centred family. Her screen persona has been scathingly criticized for stereotypical, romanticized, and sentimental depictions. But were they just clichés, or do they demand a more sensitive, generous, and flexible approach?

Breaking the Stereotype of Maternal Roles in Indian Cinema

Perhaps it was her ability to embody the matriarchal role over sixty years that secured her long and successful career. She ensured her survival as an actress through her portrayal of motherhood across generations. For her, motherhood was livelihood; it was her bread and butter.

As discerning voices have pointed out, Kaviyoor Ponnamma’s mother roles were not standardized, homogeneous versions. Her mothers were varied and not as formulaic as alleged. She brought subtle nuances to each context, inflecting her distinct style and diction into her characters. These roles differed across situations, plotlines, and directors. Unfortunately, as viewers, we often lack the patience to appreciate the minute differences actors bring to their performances. Ponnamma exemplified the crisis of motherhood during a time of deep social transitions.

Motherhood is never a secure space; it is troubled precisely because of patriarchal expectations. It is a fraught experience with its own traumas and pressures. It is hardly one-dimensional or monochromatic. Each woman's maternal identity is relational, shaped by her children and familial circumstances. Ponnamma was adept at bringing subtle layers of tabooed desire into her performances. She skilfully evoked the complexities of a certain kind of motherhood as Kerala society transitioned through tough times.

My earliest memory of that crisis is the role she essayed in the iconic Nirmalyam (1973), as a mother who compromises her conjugal fidelity to keep the home fires burning. Ponnamma's mother was not always a personification of selfless love. She portrayed a flawed mother who picked favourites and chastised others. In Bharatham (1991), directed by Sibi Malayil, she played a mother who could be cruelly conventional and hierarchical. It was a portrayal of motherhood with all its imperfections, and Ponnamma convincingly brought this to life on screen. She was never just the smiling angel of the house but could occasionally slip into the role of a villain. She was a gifted actor who could effortlessly transform into a cold figure with a stiffening of her facial muscles, an icy voice, and a freezing stare.

The Complexity of Kaviyoor Ponnamma's Maternal Legacy

Thaniyavarthanam (1987), also directed by Sibi Malayil, is often cited as a film where she infused the maternal image with a sinister strain, deciding to take the life of the son she gave birth to. The scene where she feeds poison to her son, suspected of madness by the community, is indelibly imprinted in our memory of cinematic trauma.

She embodied the power, commanding voice, and helplessness of a mother as Kerala society underwent profound changes. In Ranjith's Nandanam (2002), she portrayed a grandmother who was a remnant of Kerala's matrilineal past, offering rare grit and strength to support her vulnerable daughter. Padmarajan's Thingalazhcha Nalla Divasam (1985) chronicled the shifting family values as Kerala's economic profile transformed. Ponnamma’s histrionic skills were showcased brilliantly as she conveyed the heartbreaks of a betrayed mother.

Reflecting on Kaviyoor Ponnamma's illustrious career has been a learning experience for me in more ways than one. She coaxes me to look at the spectrum of motherhood she portrayed on screen. She also urges me to revisit motherhood in all its complicated beauty, joy, and heartache. More than ever, I feel that she intuitively understood the vulnerabilities and contradictions of motherhood in a particular social stratum. With her passing, those emotions, fears, longings, and woes have been consigned to the emotional archive of a community.