Malayalam film industry’s most popular screen ‘mother’ Kaviyoor Ponnamma breathed her last at a private hospital here on Friday evening, said film industry sources.  Known for her characteristic big, red bindi, 79-years-old Ponnamma was ailing for a while.

Starting her acting career in Malayalam drama in the late 1950s and later graduating to films, Ponnamma was the most sought-after actress to portray the role of a mother and a grandmother.