Lost on the road near Tirupattur, Mammootty finds an unexpected friend

SIVAGANGA: “He is my friend,” Malayalam superstar Mammootty said after a local biker helped him find his way to Kerala, turning an unexpected late-night detour near Tirupattur into a warm encounter that highlighted the actor’s humility and gratitude.

Mammootty was returning to Kerala after a film shoot in Karaikudi when his car was diverted because of highway work near Tirupattur. Unable to find the correct route despite using Google Maps, the actor and his companions reportedly spent more than an hour driving around the area.

Mammootty had left Karaikudi at around 2 am the day before yesterday, accompanied by film producer Anto Joseph and actor Ramesh Pisharody. They eventually stopped at a petrol station in Pattamangalam to ask for directions.

There, a man noticed the car. He told the group, “Follow me,” before riding away on his bike. Mammootty’s car followed him for around 10 km, after which the biker showed them the correct route towards Kerala.

The simple act of helping a stranded traveller became memorable when Ramesh Pisharody reportedly pointed out that nobody would believe the man if he later claimed to have guided Mammootty.

Mammootty then stepped out of the car, took the man’s mobile phone and posed for a photograph with him. When the actor asked his name, the man introduced himself as Pandian.

Anto Joseph later shared the encounter on his social media page along with a video.

The video shows Mammootty following Pandian’s bike and singing lines from a song from the Tamil film Thalapathi. After reaching the correct route, Mammootty is seen embracing Pandian and introducing him as his friend.

The gesture and the actor’s words have drawn attention on social media, with the encounter offering a glimpse of Mammootty’s interaction with a stranger who had simply stopped to help him find his way.

Mammootty was in Karaikudi for the shooting of a new film directed by Nithish Sahadevan, who earlier directed Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil, starring Jiiva.