Malayalam actress Aranmula Ponnamma passes away at 96

Veteran Malayalam actress Aranmula Ponnamma died at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram yesterday evening (February 21). The 96-year-old actress, who is known for her roles as caring and loving mother, was suffering from age-related ailments. She is survived by two daughters.

Aranmula Ponnamma started her acting career at the age of 29 with the play 'Bhagyalakshmi' opposite Augustine Joseph. Later, she made her film debut with late Thikkurissi Sukumaran Nair's movie Sasidharan. Then she continued playing the roles of a caring, loving and suffering mother and grandmother.

The senior Malayalam actress starred in hundreds of movies in her career spanning six decades. She played the mother or grandmother of first generation actors like Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair, second generation actors like Prem Nazir and Sathyan and third generation actors like Mohanlal and Suresh Gopi.

However, Ponnamma won many awards including the state's prestigious JC Daniel award for lifetime achievement in 2006. She was honoured with National and State film awards in best supporting actress category for her performance in the film Kathapurushan, directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan in 1995.