Mala Aravindan was one of the many actors that theatre gifted to cinema. Within a short time, he made a mark in Malayalam cinema with his trademark mannerisms and innate talent for comedy. Like many comedians of Malayalam cinema then, he was a brilliant actor who could enact his characters with élan. So it would be unfair to brand Mala Aravindan as a comedian. He was an excellent actor. Period.
However, unlike a Suraj Venjaramoodu or a Salim Kumar who found directors who had the imagination to cast them in lead roles, Mala’s full potential was not tapped by the directors who cast him in their films.
For instance, when we remember Sandesham , we remember Sreenivasan’s character Comrade Prabhakaran but forget sub-inspector Anandan, enacted by Mala Aravindan. As someone who is at the receiving end of the battle of ideology between two brothers, he came up with an excellent performance. But, when we talk of Sandesham , Mala is rarely mentioned.
He didn’t get the attention he deserved in that film. He didn’t get the attention he deserved in Malayalam cinema, in fact. For most of his career, he was reduced to comic roles. And by the time he had graduated to character roles, he didn’t get as many of them as he deserved.
Yet the fact is that he was a brilliant actor with more than 400 films to his credit. But it was only in a few of those films that he got to do something more than comedy. In films such as Bhoothakkannadi , Venkalam , Sallapam , Kanmadam , and Meesa Madhavan , he was able to prove his versatility.
He was an actor who could stand up to stalwarts such as Jagathy Sreekumar and Kuthiravattom Pappu. There was a time he was a vital, almost inevitable presence in mainstream cinema. His trademark laugh was enough to elicit laughter from the audience.
Ranjan Pramod, who wrote the script of Meesa Madhavan , says Mala was the first actor that he and director Lal Jose, thought of for the character of Mullani Pappan. “When I wrote the character of Pappan, I needed an actor who could do comedy but who could be convincing while advising a youngster. Mala did a great job in the role,” says the scriptwriter.
For years, Jagathy, Pappu and Mala formed a formidable comic triumvirate. With Pappu having faded out from the screen long ago and Jagathy still recuperating from the injuries sustained in a terrible road accident three years ago, Mala’s demise marks the end of an era in Malayalam cinema.
“It is true that Malayam cinema did not use his potential; perhaps only Lohithadas could see the magnitude of his talent. He was an exceptional actor, who could spice up a scene with his improvisation. Actors of my generation could learn a lot from him, especially the way he modulated his voice for comic purposes,” says actor Jagadeesh.
Mala may have become an actor by accident; he was a tabla player in theatre, before he stood in at a play, at the last minute, when a comedian didn’t turn up. Edavela Babu remembers those days. “He had played the tabla while I danced. He played regularly for drama and dance troupes before he became busy as an actor,” he says.
He was also one of the last of those gifted character actors who ensured that the stars were constantly on their toes while sharing screen space with them. It would be impossible to replace actors like him.
