Veteran Malayalam actor Mamukoya passed away at a private hospital in Kozhikode on Wednesday. He was 76. The actor was in a critical condition after he suffered a brain hemorrhage, and a subsequent cardiac arrest recently.
The actor had collapsed at the venue of a football tournament in Malappuram. Mamukoya, who debuted onscreen with the movie Anyarude Bhoomi walked straight into the hearts of the Malayali audience with his unique style of dialogue delivery and his Kozhikode dialect.
For Malayalis, the actor's most memorable role will always be Gafoorka in the 1987 film Nadodikattu in which his dialogue 'Gafoor ka dost' can still bring on waves of laughter. Mamukoya later went on to team up with director Sathyan Anthikkad to bring to the big screen a handful of evergreen performances in films like Gandhinagar 2nd Street, Varavelpu, Thalayanamanthram, Sandesham and more.
The actor won his first Kerala State Film Award for his role in Anthikkad's Innathe Chintha Visheyam. Mamukoya proved that he could not just pull off comedic roles, but character roles as well. His portrayal of Abdu in the social drama Perumazhakaalam brought him a special mention in the Kerala State Film Awards in 2004.
He was recently seen in Theerpu and Halal Love Story.