Malayalam actor-director Salim Kumar passes away, Mammootty, CM Satheesan pay tribute

National Award-winning Malayalam actor Salim Kumar has died at the age of 56. His sudden death has left the entire industry in deep shock. The actor was admitted to a private hospital and was suffering health complications and was later placed on ventilator support. Superstar Mammootty has penned an emotional note remembering the late actor.

Salim Kumar's death

The actor died at a private hospital while undergoing treatment for pneumonia, family sources told PTI. Salim died at around 10.43 pm on Saturday, the family. The actor, who had undergone a liver transplant a few years ago, was admitted to the hospital earlier in the day and was placed on ventilator support immediately.

According to family sources, he developed sudden health complications and was rushed to the hospital, where he breathed his last. He is survived by his wife, Sunitha, and their two children.

Mammootty pays condolence

Mammootty took to X to pen an emotional farewell. He wrote, "Salim, who laughed and made others laugh, thought and made others think, and occasionally cried and made others cry, now, all you do is make me cry. Your departure, dear brother, has become an unending sorrow..."

Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan also mourned the actor's death and wrote on X, "He wasn’t just the prince of laughter to me, #SalimKumar was a deeply connected soul, fearless in his political beliefs and proud to say he stood with Congress. A versatile genius who could make us laugh and cry with the same face. Malayalam cinema lost a legend, and I lost a brother."

Several figures from the Malayalam film industry, including actor Dileep, MLA and actor Ramesh Pisharody, and Nadirshah, visited the hospital where Salim was admitted.

Who was Salim Kumar?

Salim appeared in over 300 films in a career that spanned over three decades. He was an actor, director and writer and featured predominantly in Malayalam cinema. He began his career as a host of a comedy show called Comicola. Later, in 1997, he made his Malayalam film debut with Ishtamanu Nooru Vattam.

In a career spanning over three decades, Salim appeared in more than 300 films. The actor, director and writer, who worked predominantly in Malayalam cinema, started his career as a host on the comedy show Comicola. However, his major breakthrough came with Thenkasipattanam in 2000 alongside Dileep. The film was one of the highest-grossing releases of that year.

He went on to feature in several films with Dileep, including Ee Parakkum Thalika and Meesa Madhavan, among others. He established himself as one of the finest comic actors of Malayalam cinema.

In later years, he successfully transitioned into playing serious roles on screen, earning praise from both critics and audiences. In 2010, he won the National Film Award for Best Actor for his powerful performance in Adaminte Makan Abu. His directorial venture Karutha Joothan won the 2017 Kerala State Film Award for Best Story. He also won the Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actor for Achanurangatha Veedu (2005) and the Kerala State Television Award for Best Actor in 2013.