Those who pass by Sankarankulangara Junction in Thrissur city cannot miss a makeshift shrine under a banyan tree. Among gods of all religions, one can find the photo of a smiling Mammootty too.
This is the place where Mammootty Subran, an ardent fan of actor Mammootty, spent his day and night, except for the working hours. At the peak of his obsession for the actor, Subramanyan, a headload worker, changed his name to Mammootty Subran. And, when the diehard admirer passed away two days ago, the star took the lead in paying tributes.
Numbers tell a tale
Subran watched Mammootty’s Amaram 96 times at Ragam Theatre, Thrissur, until the theatre management stopped him from watching it again. “The film was shown for 101 days in the theatre and the management stopped me when I went on the 97th day,” Subran used to tell his friends. He watched Valsalyam 36 times and Vadakkan Veeragatha 26 times.
He had watched each and every movie of Mammootty. But his favourite was Amaram . “That opening scene of Mammootty with a child in his hand is unforgettable,” he used to say.
Subran, who was not a member of any fans’ associations of the actor, was, however, close to him. He proudly showed his friends photos in which Mammootty was riding pillion on his scooter.
A dream unfulfilled
Subran, who took a lot of lottery tickets, had a dream. “If I win the lottery, I will make a movie. The story will be about a father and his three sons. I will play the father’s role and my sons will be Mammootty, Mohanlal and Suresh Gopi,” he used to say.
He died without fulfilling his dream. Though Subran, who complained of chest pain and collapsed, was rushed to hospital, his life could not be saved. Mammootty, who called V. Athira, Punkunnam division councillor, to inquire about Subran’s death wrote an emotional note on Facebook: “Subran, whom I have known for many years, passed away. The demise of Subran, who changed his name to Mammootty Subran in his love towards me, is painful. Tributes.”
