In a moment that tugged at the heartstrings of everyone present, Malayalam cinema's megastar Mammootty recently shared an emotional reunion with the very person who bestowed upon him his now-iconic name. The touching incident unfolded during a public event organized by Manorama, bringing a deeply personal chapter of the actor's life to the fore.
The Emotional On-Stage Reunion
The hall fell into a hushed anticipation as Mammootty, addressing the audience, made a startling revelation. "The one who gave me the name Mammootty is sitting there… right over there," the superstar declared. According to producer Anto Joseph, who captured the moment in a heartfelt Facebook post, the entire audience immediately turned to look in the direction Mammootty pointed.
Mammootty then called the man, identified as Shashidharan from Edavanakkad, to join him on the stage. Introducing him with immense pride, Mammootty said, "His name is Shashidharan… he is from Edavanakkad… he is the one who gave me the name Mammootty." Anto Joseph described the sight of Shashidharan standing with folded hands next to the megastar as a frame filled with pure nostalgia and respect, so powerful that it reminded him of the climactic scene from the film 'Katha Parayumbol'.
The Story Behind the Name 'Mammootty'
From the stage beside the Kochi lake, Mammootty proceeded to narrate the charming origin story of his name. He revealed that in his younger years, he was hesitant to use his real name, Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail. Instead, he would introduce himself to others as "Omar Sharif," and soon everyone began calling him Omar.
The turning point came quite by accident. "One day my identity card fell out of my pocket," Mammootty recounted. "Someone picked up the ID card, looked at it and asked, 'Your name isn't Omar… isn't it Mammootty?'" That someone was Shashidharan. The actor affirmed, "From that day, among my friends and now among all of you, that is how I became Mammootty."
He acknowledged that many people have claimed credit for giving him the name over the years. However, Mammootty set the record straight with heartfelt clarity, stating, "But the one I know, the one who truly gave me that name, is this man. All this time I kept him hidden… a surprise." As Anto Joseph poignantly wrote, as the two old classmates stood together, "the lake of Kochi and the evening sky witnessed it too," marking a truly cinematic moment in real life.
