Mammootty on Patriot, Playing a Serial Killer & Why He Wants to Die Acting | CoverStar | THR India

In a wide-ranging THR India Exclusive conversation with Anupama Chopra at the Grand Hyatt Kochi, Malayalam megastar Mammootty reflects on a career spanning over 400 films across five decades — from his uncredited debut in 1971 to practising law in Malabar, and from doing 35 films in a single year to now choosing roles that challenge his own stardom. He speaks candidly about playing a serial killer in Kalamkaval, producing films no one else would back, and why every role remains a risk. Mammootty also opens up about his dual National Award-winning year for Vidheyan and Ponthan Mada — one a feudal tyrant, the other a poor peasant — and why he's never followed a named method in his craft, letting performances emerge in the moment.

The conversation turns to Patriot, his highly anticipated reunion with Mohanlal after 18 years, directed by Mahesh Narayanan. Mammootty insists the film is driven by plot, not stardom, and recalls how effortlessly the two slipped back into rhythm on their first day in Colombo. He shares his excitement about Padayaatra with Adoor Gopalakrishnan, where he plays a doctor who gives up everything to serve tribal communities. From the double-climax marketing experiment of Harikrishnans with Fazil and Juhi Chawla, to gently dodging Dulquer Salmaan's pitch for a bigger role in Lokah, to his hope that Malayalam cinema goes truly international — Mammootty makes one thing clear: the passion hasn't dimmed, and he'd rather die acting than stop.

00:00 Introduction
01:35 Career spanning 400 films, 50 years
04:20 Playing a serial killer in Kalamkaval
06:34 Risk-taking and winning dual National Awards
08:24 Patriot with Mohanlal after 18 years
13:36 Acting method and on-set pressure
18:44 Why the passion never fades
24:39 Harikrishnans and the double climax
29:39 Dulquer, Lokah and upcoming Padayaatra

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