Malayalam actor Unnikrishnan Namboothiri passes away at 98

Veteran actor Unnikrishnan Namboothiri on Wednesday passed away in Kannur.

The 98-year-old had tested positive for COVID-19 recently. He was receiving treatment for the same at the ICU of a private hospital. On Tuesday, he was sent home after his COVID-test came back negative. However, the following day his health deteriorated and he was taken back to the hospital, where he breathed his last.

The actor made his acting debut with ‘Desadanam 1996’. However, he became a household name among the Malayalam film audience for his performance as a witty grandfather in ‘Kalyanaraman’ (2002). He had also played a pivotal role in Kamal Haasan’s hit comedy-drama, ‘Pammal K Sambandam’ (2002).

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On his death mews, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan shared in a statement on Facebook, “Unnikrishnan Namboothiri was an actor who excelled in expressive acting. He was known to be a distinct personality in the field of cinema for his age-old interest and confidence for the same. A fellow leftist, he had closely associated with the CPI (M). His demise is a great loss to the artist fraternity. This is a personal loss for me as well. The gap left by his death in the cultural space, cannot be easily filled.”

Unnikrishnan is survived by two sons Bhavadasan and PV Kunjikrishnan and two daughters Devi and Yamuna.