Philomina

Philomina was a well-known Malayalam personality known for her dynamic roles in her movies. She was a veteran actress working for more than 35 years in the film line. She was born in Mullurkara village in Kerala. Her parents were Devassia and Mariam. She completed her primary education from the Valapad GVHS School. She used to sing church choir, but her father died when she was just 12 years old. After her father’s death, she started singing for dramas to earn a living. After that, she started singing in movies and also started acting in movies. She was married to Antony, a theater actor who died just when her son Joseph was three years old. She gained lots of experience by working in theater for more than five years before coming into the limelight. She made her debut in the movie Kuttikkupayam in 1964 when she started her primary side of the career. This movie was produced by T.E. Vasudevan and directed by M. Krishnan Nair, which was a huge hit. She always remembers the theater group she worked with earlier, P J Antony where she learned most about acting. In her staggering career, she did more than 750 films and TV series, which were received with great appreciation by the audience. She received her first state award in 1970 for her work in the movie Turakkathavaathil and Olavum Theeravum as a supporting actress.

She earned many praises from many critics and fans. She then did Thaniyavarthanam in the year 1987, for which she also won an award. After her son, she also started her career as a mother, which continued untill her death. She was always a caring mother and knew what is appropriate for her child. She took a break in her career and came back with movies like Bharathan and Padmarajan. She first did her comic role in Madanmaar Londonil, where Sathyan Anthikkad saw the potential in her to do a comic role. Philomina after her career was suffering from chronic diabetes. She lived in a small flat in Kochi, but then she shifted to his son’s place in Chennai. She had a stroke in 2005 and was in bed rest from then. She died in 2006 at her son’s place in Chennai. She will always be remembered for her colossal work in film, serials and surely theatre where she always made sure people are happy after seeing her performance. She dedicated a major part of her life in making people laugh and will always be remembered and with a huge amount of respect.