Veteran actress Kaviyoor Ponnamma passed away. She had been undergoing treatment for more than a month, and her demise occurred at Lisie Hospital in Kochi.

Kaviyoor Ponnamma was a prominent actress in Malayalam cinema for over six decades and was one of the artists who acted in the most films.

She was born in 1945 in Kaviyoor, Pathanamthitta, as the eldest of seven children of T.P. Damodaran and Gouri. The late actress Kaviyoor Renuka was her younger sister.

Ponnamma had a keen interest in music and later went to Changanassery to learn music under the tutelage of L.P.R. Varma. She also studied music under Vechur S. Hariharasubrahmanya Iyer. At the age of 14, she entered the arts scene as a singer in the plays of the then-renowned drama troupe Pratibha Arts. She stepped into acting through Thoppil Bhasi's play "Mooladhanam.

" Her film debut was in *Sreerama Pattabhishekam*, where she portrayed Mandodari opposite Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair, who played Ravana. In *Thommante Makkal* (1965), she played the mother of Sathyan and Madhu, marking the beginning of her iconic portrayal as a mother figure in Malayalam cinema. In the same year, she appeared in *Odayil Ninnu* as the leading lady opposite Sathyan, where she was featured in the famous song "Ambalakkulangare." That year also saw her play Sathyan's mother, a testament to her versatile acting abilities. Her character Savitri in the film *Nellu* (1974) is another notable role that stands out from her numerous mother roles.

Some of her prominent films include *Thommante Makkal*, *Odayil Ninnu*, *Anveshichu Kandethiyilla*, *Asuravithu*, *Velutha Kathreena*, *Nadhi*, *Othenante Makan*, *Sharashayya*, *Vithukal*, *Abhijatyam*, *Sree Guruvayoorappan*, *Enippadikal*, *Ponnappuram Kotta*, *Nirmalyam*, *Nellu*, *Devi Kanyakumari*, *Thulavarsham*, *Satyavan Savitri*, *Kottayam Koli*, *Idavela*, *Chiriyo Chiri*, *Oru Nokku Kanan*, *Chidambaram*, *Irakal*, *Amaram*, *Ekalavyan*, *Adhipan*, *Deshadanam*, *Nandini Oppol*, *Theerthadanam*, *Manassinakkare*, and *Pattanathil Sundaran*.

Ponnamma made her debut as a playback singer in the film *Kattumaina*. She sang in several films, including *Velutha Kathreena*, *Theerthayathra*, *Dharmayuddham*, *Ilakkangal*, *Chiriyo Chiri*, and *Kaakka Kuyil*. She was also active on television from 1999, featuring in numerous serials on channels like Doordarshan, Asianet, and Surya TV.

She received several accolades, including the Kerala State Film Award for Best Supporting Actress four times in 1971, 1972, 1973, and 1994. She also won the Bharat Murali Award, P.K. Rosy Award, Kalaratnam Award, and the Kerala State Film Department's Special Award.

Her husband, Maniswami, a film producer, proposed to her on the set of *Rosie*, the movie where she first played a leading role. They married in 1969 and had a daughter named Bindu. After a few years of marriage, Ponnamma and Maniswami separated, but she cared for him during his illness until his death in 2011.

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