Nilambur Ayisha

Ayisha was born in 1935 at Nilambur, a rustic village in the Malappuram District of Kerala. She belonged to a rich family with "lots of servants and an elephant". She was interested in arts and used to sing a bit. But after the death of her father, her family went into a deep financial crisis and they lived in abject poverty. She was also a victim of child marriage. At the age of 13, she was made to marry a 47-year old man. But the brave woman called off the marriage at the fifth day, unable to bear his torture. One day, not being able to cope up with the severe bruises life has inflicted upon her heart and soul, she decided to commit suicide. Only because of the sudden interference of her elder brother she did change her mind and determined to face all odds with courage. Later she realised that she is pregnant, but she did raise the baby on her own.

Ayisha entered the stage in the 1950s when it was taboo for a Muslim woman to do so. E.M.S. Namboodiripad, one of the founding leaders of the Communist Party in Kerala, played a key role in Ayisha becoming an actor. Those were the days when all female roles were played by men and very few women dared to act. E.M.S came to watch a play by E.K Ayamu suggested that it would be great if the female characters in the play are performed by female artists. Inspired by this Ayamu and his team started searching all around Nilambur for female artists who are apt for the roles. They selected Janaki, the nephew of renowned actor Nilambur Balan for a role. But they were unable to find a suitable face for Jameela, a pivotal character in the play.

Despite of the objection from her mother, Ayisha took the plunge and made her debut before a huge crowd at Feroke, in 1953 at the age of 16 with playwright E.K. Ayamu’s ‘Ijju Nalloru Manushyan Aavan Nokku’ (1953), a populist play that shook up social sensibilities. Performed at over 2,500 stages in various parts of the State and in Bombay and Pune, the play drew huge crowds, including artists, writers and thinkers. Later she went on to work with stalwarts in theatre such as K.T. Mohammed, Vaikom Mohammed Basheer, Khan Kavil and P.J. Antony. She played the lead in plays such as Ithu Bhoomiyanu, Theekkanal, Srishti and Kafir written and directed by K.T Muhammed.

Ayisha was not just a presence. She was a firebrand. She along with her troop members went from village to village inviting people to watch their plays, which called for revolution, fighting feudalism. The plays she starred in were all about social changes and were a huge crowd puller nonetheless. By her late teens, she had become a talking point, finding her way into newspaper headlines and contemptuous whispers. But some section of the society was not acceptable to a woman taking part in plays. To them it was inconceivable that a Muslim girl from a conservative family in Malappuram could become a theatre actor. Her family was promptly ostracised, but she continued to act. Despite she was pelted at several times while on stage, getting hit again on her forehead, Ayisha remained unflinching. The opposition from her community rose each day. Once, she was shot at with an airgun while performing in one of K.T. Mohammed’s plays in Manjeri. By sheer luck, she escaped. Another time, while performing at Mannarkad, a man from the audience went up to her and slapped her. Since then, she has lost her hearing in one ear. But the determined woman overcame all resistance with her sheer grit and grace. Her love for acting consumed all of her, keeping her grounded to her passion. In ‘Ee Duniyaavil Njan Ottakkanu’ (I’m alone in this world), written by Dr. Usman, she brought her sister Amina to the stage. Opposition continued.

She did not limit herself to plays, she has made a foray into film. Ayisha’s first film was in Hindi, The Elephant Queen, directed by Rajendra. The film’s cast included Helen and Azad. She played the role of a woman in a hunting family. She got an entry to that film because it was shot at Nilambur, her hometown. That year she also did her first film in Malayalam, Kandam Becha Kottu, which was a big hit. It was followed by films like Subaida, Kuttikkuppayam, Olavum Theeravum and Kuppivala. She acted with the biggest stars of those days such as Prem Nazir, Sheela, Ambika, Adoor Bhasi and Bahadoor.

Then one day she was summarily dismissed from K.T.’s Sangamam Theatre. It was also the time the Muslim community rose with full vigour against her theatre activism. Religious fanatics hounded her. Days of hunger and poverty followed. The community had forbidden people from helping her. But good Samaritans such as Kunhi Kuttan Thampan of the royal family of Nilambur and Dr. M. Usman, both social visionaries and patrons of the arts, offered refuge to her. Actor Nilambur Balan has also supported her. Out of work as a theatre artiste, she went to Saudi Arabia to work as a khaddama (housemaid) for 20 years. She began to act again on her return from the Gulf. Director Ranjith was instrumental in giving her another innings in films, with a robust character in Ammakkilikoodu, which he wrote. Then she played some meaty roles in films such as Paradeshi, in which I played Lakshmi Gopalaswamy’s mother.

Ayisha’s first honour came the same year she started acting (1953). She was called ‘Keralathile Veeraputhri’. The most prominent among the awards she has received are the S.L. Puram State Prize for her overall contribution to theatre. She won the Kerala State Film Award for the Second Best Actress for her role in Oomakkuyil Paadumbol in 2011. She was also awarded the coveted Premji Award in the year 2011.She is also a winner of Premji Award, SL Puram Award, KPAC Award etc.

Still at this age of 82, Ayisha retains the fire within. She attends workshops and debates on social issues and women’s empowerment. Nilambur Ayisha is seen as one of the most inspiring personalities of the industry. She has certainly inspired generations with her struggle to fight for their passion. It was Nilambur Aysha's move against the opposition of Muslim orthodoxy that paved the way for several other Muslim women to take up acting and singing. Zeenath was one of the actresses she inspired. Ayisha is nothing short of a revolution. With the kind of respect, women are getting in the entertainment industry today; this might be making her proud today!

• Rudraveena (Surya TV)

• Karinkurangu
• Ithu Bhoomiyanu
• Ullathu Paranjal
• Ee Dhuniyavil Njan Ottakkanu
• Ijj Nalla Manushyanavan Nokk
• Kafir
• Theekkanal
• Srishti

• Nilambur Ayisha at IMDb
• "Nilambur Ayisha". malayalachalachithram.com. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
• Nilambur Ayisha at MSI