MAMTA MOHANTHAAS ,ACTOR/ SINGER BORN 1985 NOVEMBER 14

MAMTA MOHANTHAAS ,ACTOR/ SINGER

BORN 1985 NOVEMBER 14

Mamta Mohandas is an Indian film actress and playback singer. She has mainly acted in Malayalam films, besides a few Telugu and Tamil productions and one Kannada film. She has won two Filmfare Awards, for Best Female Playback Singer in Telugu in 2006 and for Best Actress in Malayalam in 2010.

Early life[edit]

Mamta Mohandas was born on 14 November 1985 to Ambalappat Mohandas and Ganga into a Malayali family which originally hails from Kannur. She attended the Indian School, Bahrain until 2002 and is an alumna of the School. She pursued a Bachelor's degree at Mount Carmel College Bangalore. She modeled for print ads for companies such as IBM and Kalyan Kendra and modeled on the ramp for the Mysore Maharajah and Raymonds. Mamta is trained in Carnatic and Hindustani music.[3][4]

Career[edit]

Mamta débuted in the 2005 Malayalam film Mayookham, directed by Hariharan. Although the film did not do well at the box office, Mamta attracted attention for her sensitive portrayal of Indira.[5]

Subsequently, she acted alongside Mammootty in Bus Conductor, with Suresh Gopi in the films Adbutham (2006) and Lanka (2006), and alongside Jayaram in Madhuchandralekha (2006). She also played the female lead in Baba Kalyani with Mohanlal. Later that year, she débuted in the Tamil film industry, starring in the Karu Pazhaniappan-directed film Sivappathigaram opposite Vishal Krishna, which turned out to be an average grosser.

Actress Mamta Mohandas and actor Madhavan seen during the official launch of the movie Guru En Aalu.

In 2007 she acted with Mammootty in the blockbuster film Big B. She eventually stepped into the Telugu film industry as well, when she appeared in a supporting role in the film Yamadonga, directed by SS Rajamouli. The film became one of the biggest hits of the year. She had lent her voice for a couple of songs in this film too. In 2008, she appeared in 7 films, predominantly in Telugu-language films. Her first release was her début Kannada film Gooli.

She then starred in the film Krishnarjuna, playing the lead female role, which did not do well at the box office. Victory was her next assignment as lead actress, but that film also failed at the box office, following which she appeared in a cameo role in her only Tamil release that year, Kuselan, alongside Tamil superstar Rajinikanth. Three more Telugu releases featured Mamta, including Homam, directed by JD Chakravarthy and Srinu Vaitla's King opposite Nagarjuna. In both these films she also performed as a playback singer in several songs.

In 2009, she starred in the comedy film Guru En Aalu alongside Madhavan, and the thriller Passenger, sharing screen space with Dileep and Sreenivasan, respectively. While the former had an average run at the box office, the latter was declared a surprise sleeper hit in Malayalam. The film 'Passenger' in which she played the role of a television reporter 'Anuradha', became a turning point in mamta's career. In 2010, she worked with Jayaram in the critically acclaimed Kadha Thudarunnu directed by Sathyan Anthikkad, for which she won her first Best Actress Award from Filmfare.

 This film also won her the 'Vanitha award for best actress – Malayalam', the 'Mathrubhumi award for best actress – Malayalam' and the 'Asianet award for the best actress- Malayalam '. Other projects in 2010 included Musafir with Rahman, Anwar with Prithiviraj, and Kedi with Nagarjuna. Mamta's first film in 2011 was the Malayalam film Race, in which she played the role of Niya, wife of a cardio surgeon Abey (Kunchacko Boban). T

he film failed to do well at the box office.[6] Her next release in Malayalam was Naayika.[7] In 2012, Mamta appeared in her third Tamil film, Thadaiyara Thaakka directed by Magizh Thirumeni.[8] Her most recent film is Paisa Paisa in which she was paired with Indrajith.[citation needed] She has completed filming for To Noora with Love in which she plays a Muslim character.[9] She has made a comeback to Malayalam movie industry with ranjith shankar's mammooty starrer "Varsham". She shared her screen space again with Dileep in "Two Countries"

Singing[edit]

Mamta is as an acclaimed playback singer in Indian films as well. Mamta, who is trained in Carnatic and Hindustani music, first sang playback in the Telugu film Rakhi, singing the title song under Devi Sri Prasad's direction, making her début in the Telugu film industry as a singer before making her acting début in Telugu. She went on to win the 2006 Filmfare Best Female Playback Singer Award for that song.[10]
Subsequently, she was asked to sing several songs for composer Devi Sri Prasad, including the chartbuster "Akalesthe Annam Pedtha" for the Chiranjeevi-starrer Shankardada Zindabad (later dubbed as Daddy Mummy in the Tamil film Villu), "36-24-36" for the film Jagadam, "Mia" for Tulasi, and "Ghanana (Funny)" and the title song for the film King. Other music directors she has worked with include M. M. Keeravani (for her own films Yamadonga and Krishnarjuna, also Chandamama), R. P. Patnaik (for Andamaina Mansulo), Chakri (for Victory), Nithin Raikwar (for her own film Homam) and Thaman (for Jayeebhava).

In Tamil, she sang "Kaalai Kaalai" in the film Kaalai, which starred Silambarasan in the lead role. She sang "Idai Vazhi" for the comedy film Goa under noted composer Yuvan Shankar Raja's direction. Both songs featured her singing alongside Benny Dayal. She was heard for the first time in her mother tongue, Malayalam, in the 2010 film Anwar. She has also recorded a song for her recent film Thriller. In the film 'Mohabath', she sang a duet with Hariharan. She sang "Iravil Viriyum" in her 2012 film Arike.

Other work[edit]

In 2012, Mamta starting working in television too, hosting the quiz show Kayyil Oru Kodi on Surya TV. It was later cancelled.[11]
Mamta was the brand ambassador of Kochi International Fashion Week (KIWF) which was held from 4 to 7 August. She is the brand ambassador along with actress Bhavana for team Kerala Strikers for the Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) held in 2013, captained by Mohanlal, who is also one of the owners of the team, and vice-captain Indrajith.

Personal life[edit]

Mamta is a cancer survivor. She battled Hodgkin's lymphoma with positive energy and confidence. She had to cut her hair off for chemotherapy sessions. In some parts of her film Anwar, she managed to conceal the difference with wigs. Not many were aware of this situation until late 2010.[12][13]

Mamta got engaged to Prajith Padmanabhan, a Bahrain-based businessman, also her childhood friend, on 11 November 2011. They got married on 28 December 2011 in Kozhikode.[14] On 12 December 2012, the couple applied for divorce.[15] In April 2013, she had a relapse of the cancer and underwent treatment.[16] She is currently residing in Downtown Los Angeles as a part of her cancer treatment.[2]

Awards[edit]
Kerala State Film Awards

2010: Second Best Actress – Kadha Thudarunnu

Asianet Film Awards

2010: Best Popular Actress – Kadha Thudarunnu
2010: Nominated - Best Actress - Kadha Thudarunnu
2013: Best Popular Actress – My Boss

Filmfare Awards South

2006: Won- Best Female Playback Singer in Telugu – Rakhi
2009: Nominated- Best Actress – Passenger
2010: Won- Best Actress – Kadha Thudarunnu
2013: Nominated- Best Actress – Arike
2013: Nominated- Best Playback Singer – Female - Arike
2014: Nominated- Best Actress – Celluloid

Vanitha Film Awards

2010: Best Actress – Kadha Thudarunnu
2016: Best STAR Pair - Two Countries

Asiavision Awards

Nominated - 2013: Best Actress -Celluloid, My Boss[17]
2nd South Indian International Movie Awards
Nominated - 2013: Best Female Playback Singer – Arike
Mathrubhumi-Kalyan Silks Chalachitra awards
2010: Best Actress – Kadha Thudarunnu[18]
Kerala Film Critics Association Awards
2005: Best Debut Actress – Mayookham
2012: Second Best Actress – Celluloid
Other awards
2013: The Pearl Malayalam Film Award for Second Best Actress – Celluloid

Mamta Mohandas on cinema, 

her battle with cancer and on living life 

on her own terms BORN 1985 NOVEMBER 14

Mamta Mohandas’ optimism and enthusiasm are contagious. On the last day of her shoot for Udaharanam Sujatha in Thiruvananthapuram, I meet her before she returns to the US. It was selfie time for her with the cast and crew of the film. “There was just three days of shoot, but I had a good time. I love people...Actually my love for life comes from my love for people,” says Mamta when she finally sits down for a chat in her caravan.
She has plenty of reasons to be in love with her life. Her career is on an upswing and she has been shuttling between Los Angeles (LA), her home for the last three years, and India several times a month for work.
Her packed itinerary in India includes movies, a reality show on the small screen (“because her mother loves the show”) and other commitments, whereas in LA, life moves at her own pace. She is obviously enjoying living in the two time zones.
“Back in LA, I am in no hurry. I go on long drives, especially to meet my friends. I work out or listen to music. These days I am listening to Italian musician Ludovico Einaudi. Or, I cook — I make Italian or grill fish or chicken... make salads. Once in a while I make some rice and curry...!” Mamta breaks into a hearty laugh, probably thinking about the good times that she has had.
The survivor

The only appointment that she has to keep is with her doctor. Without any prodding, she candidly says, “Yes, I am still under treatment.” As one wonders where she draws the strength to narrate her battle with cancer over and over again, she smiles, saying, “I tell it like a story!”
Mamta was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and had gone through multiple relapses before she decided to subject herself to a clinical trial in the United States.
“I decided to do it because I had no other option and now I tell my doctor that I am the best guinea pig they can get. The decision was taken when I was shooting for Varsham (2014). I don’t know how I managed to complete the seven-day shoot. The pain was so severe when I woke up in the morning that there were days when I used to pray that I don’t wake up at all!” says Mamta, her eyes welling up.
She chose to go for the trial, living on her own in LA. “I didn’t let my parents go with me. So except for the arrangements for my treatment, I had to do everything else from scratch... like finding an accommodation, my transportation, running a home....”
A new life

17tvmmamta1
The treatment and her stay in the US became a new chapter of her life. “The treatment is the toughest part for any cancer patient. The pain, weakness, loss of hair.... But I did not have to experience any of those (laughs). In five to six months, I was better and hopeful,” she says.
Nevertheless, Mamta says, she wasn’t feeling happy. There was something amiss,” she recalls. That’s when actor Dileep got in touch with her to act in Two Countries. “I had something to look forward to. That’s when I really started living in LA,” she smiles.
Now that her career is back on track, Mamta says she is ready to do any kind of role that she feels she can enact. “The team I am working with is also extremely important. In Thoppil Joppan, I had a minuscule role, but I enjoyed being a part of it. In Udaharanam Sujatha, I play a District Collector, who is an inspiration for the character played by Manju chechi [Manju Warrier]. The role came to me because the makers thought I would fit into that role. Same is the case with my next movie Goodalochana, written by Dhyan Sreenivasan and directed by Thomas Sebastian. I play an entrepreneur and art enthusiast whose path crosses with four youngsters who want to start a business venture,” she says.
She feels that Malayalam cinema is going through a phase where heroines are getting the space they deserve.
“Women have started speaking their mind and that is getting reflected in our films as well. I strongly believe that cinema is a reflection of society,” she says.
The conversation naturally veers to the newly-formed Women in Cinema Collective in Mollywood. “It is unique and I am happy that there is a forum where women can voice their views and concerns. I will strongly support the venture till the day it becomes a ‘feminist-only’ platform. For me humanity is important,” she asserts.
And in the frame of mind that she is now, she only wants to stay positive and look ahead.

“Life is only getting better and better. However, I’m cautious about my personal life. I am not yet ready for a relationship. That calls for vulnerability and I don’t want to put myself in that spot now. Otherwise I am in control of my life!”
On her co-actors
Dileep: We are really comfortable with each other as artistes and friends. We are good at playing opposites on screen. And he never tries to overpower me or dominate me in any scene.
Manju Warrier: Although we had never interacted much before, when we met on the sets of Udaharanam Sujatha we immediately hit it off. It was like two seasoned performers coming together. We have shot some really nice scenes. She is amazing as an actress and I can go on and on about her performances.
Prithviraj: We share a great equation. People say that we look good together on screen and that we sound similar in our views!
Up next

Mamta reunites with Prithviraj in Nirmal Sahadev’s trilingual movie, Detroit Crossing. Also, she is acting opposite Fahadh Faasil for the first time in Carbon, directed by cinematographer Venu.