The Malayalam film industry loves to make horror movies. Well, to be precise, it loves to make movies featuring yakshis (ghosts of deceased women). Until recently, when it began exploring the horror genre more inventively with films like Bhoothakaalam (2022) and Bramayugam (2024), yakshis were the go-to trope Malayalam filmmakers relied on to induce fear in audiences. Despite such stories often hitting the screens, a few movies remain particularly beloved to Malayalees, one among which is director Vinayan’s Aakasha Ganga (1999). Not because it was a path-breaking horror film, but because it used an already hackneyed trope well and delivered genuine chills, the movie remains a fan favourite. And the thanks here is due to actor Mayoori, who played Ganga — a dasi (servant) girl murdered by the patriarch of a royal household over her romantic relationship with his son and who returns as a yakshi to avenge her death by eliminating all the men in the family.
Although actor Divya Unni played the woman who becomes possessed by Ganga’s spirit, effectively becoming the face of the ghost for most part in the movie, the real Ganga appears on screen often, etching Mayoori’s image in the hearts of audiences forever. Nonetheless, Aakasha Ganga was not the only film that brought Mayoori recognition. In fact, she impressed audiences in nearly every movie she appeared in, no matter how big or small her role. That’s why Mayoori is still remembered even 20 years after she took her own life at the age of just 22.
Born in Kolkata in 1983 to a Tamil couple, Mayoori (née Shalini) made her film debut while she was in Class 8. She landed the female lead role in her first film, director Keyaar’s Kumbakonam Gopalu, opposite Pandiarajan. Despite being just a teenager, her mature performance as a nurse and her striking beauty impressed audiences and opened a flood of opportunities. The same year, she made her Malayalam debut as one of the five central female characters in Sibi Malayil’s blockbuster romantic comedy Summer in Bethlehem (1998), starring Suresh Gopi, Manju Warrier and Jayaram, with Mohanlal in a striking cameo. Despite the film’s many key characters, Mayoori effortlessly left a lasting impression, which led to more Malayalam offers.
Over the next two years, she worked exclusively in Malayalam, appearing in several major films. Besides Aakasha Ganga and Bharya Veettil Paramasukham (1999), she acted opposite then-heartthrob Kunchacko Boban in Chandamama (1999) and Prem Poojari (1999). Though she wasn’t the female lead in either, her performances as Annie and Chanchal, respectively, were widely noticed, thanks in large part to her expressive face and starry eyes.
Mayoori in Summer in Bethlehem. (Screenshot: YouTube/KokersEntertainments)
In legendary filmmaker AK Lohithadas’ hard-hitting family drama Arayannangalude Veedu (2000), she played Ragini, with whom Mammootty’s character Raveendranath was in love in his youth. Unlike her earlier characters, Ragini was far more emotionally demanding and layered. As with most Lohithadas creations, the role required the actor to tap into deep emotions, and Mayoori did so brilliantly, underscoring that she couldn’t be confined to any single type. Though she later appeared in Summer Palace (2000) and Chethaaram (2001), those films did not earn her the same recognition.
She then worked in the Kannada film Neela (2001) in a small role before shifting focus to Tamil, where she had a key part in Whistle (2003). In Selvaraghavan’s 7G Rainbow Colony (2004), she made a special appearance in the song “Naam Vayathukku Vandhom”. Subsequently, she acted in Silambarasan TR’s Manmadhan (2004) and Sarathkumar’s Aai (2004), but neither film truly explored her potential.
Mayoori in Prem Poojari. (Screenshot: YouTube/MatineeNow)
That same year, she played a significant role in the Kannada film Sarvabhouma (2004), appearing alongside superstar Shivarajkumar. Portraying the wife of one of his two characters, she delivered a solid performance in both the younger and elderly getups. In 2005, she appeared in a small role in KV Anand’s Tamil film Kana Kandaen, sharing the screen with Prithviraj Sukumaran, which unfortunately became her final screen appearance. Soon after the film’s release, she was found hanging in her Anna Nagar residence on June 16, 2005, ending her life at just 22.
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Though the exact reason behind her decision is still not known, there were reports that she struggled with depression, allegedly linked to a rumoured stomach cancer diagnosis. However, no family member ever confirmed this. “No one has any role in my death. I am leaving because I have lost hope in life,” she reportedly wrote in a letter to her brother abroad, according to Manorama Online.
Mayoori with Mammootty in Arayannangalude Veedu. (Screenshot: YouTube/SreeMoviesOfficial)
A sensitive child who entered the world of cinema as a teenager, it was also rumoured that the dark realities of the film industry took a toll on her mental health. Many colleagues recalled seeing her after shoots, sitting in her room playing with dolls, underscoring that she was still a kid at heart. Reports also suggest that on numerous occasions, Mayoori faced the heartbreak of being promised a role only to find out later that someone else had been cast in her place. This, too, is believed to have caused her deep distress. But the true reason remains a mystery to this day.
Actor Sangeetha Krish, who shared the screen with Mayoori in Summer in Bethlehem, once told Kerala Kaumudi Weekly, “Mayoori was three years younger to me and was a foolish one. Only after asking me, she used to even tie her hair. Once the shooting is over, she will be with her toys in her room. She later died by suicide. Personal and film lives are entirely different. One needs to be flexible to carry the two together.”
Though she worked in cinema for just seven years, Mayoori remains an unforgettable presence for audiences, especially Malayalees. Whenever we hear songs like “Puthu mazhayayi vannu nee”, “Confusion Theerkaname”, “Devaragame Mele”, or “Manassin Manichimizhil”, her breathtaking face comes flooding back to our minds. Thanks to her exceptional talent, that face will never fade.
