Veteran Malayalam actor passes away

The renowned actor, who was battling for life since he was admitted to a hospital in the city on August 23 following two mild heart attacks, breathed his last at around 3.30am on Monday.

He was 77 and is survived by four sons and two daughters. His body was cremated with state honours at the Thycaud crematorium in the evening.

Thousands of people from all walks of life swarmed the VJT hall, where the body was kept, to have a last glimpse of the actor, who enthralled audiences with his portrayal of diverse characters on stage and screen for nearly four decades.

Born at Ayroor in Pathanamthitta district, Surendranatha Thilakan began his tryst with acting while he was still at school. He entered the cinema world in 1979 with a minor role in KG George’s ‘Ulkadal’ after proving his mettle as a stage artist.

He gave life to many memorable characters in plays staged by various drama troupes including pro-Communist Kerala Peoples’ Arts Centre of KPAC. He had associated himself with renowned stage actor P J Antony, who won the national award for best actor for his sterling performance in Nirmalyam in 1970s.

Thilakan has left behind several class characters that film viewers may never forget. Though Thilakan had acted as hero only in a few films, his performances were no less than heroes in most of the over 200 films he acted. Notable among them are Sandesam, Kilukkam, Georgekutty C/O Georgekutty, Veendum Chila Veetu Karyangal, Sphadikam, Kauravar and Randhamadhavam.

His outstanding performance in Rithubhedam brought him the national award in 1988. His role in Ekantham fetched him a special jury award in 2007. Though his role in ‘Perunthachan’ is rated as his best performance, Thilakan lost the national award that year to Amitabh Bachchan.

Thilakan won the state award for best actor twice and second state best actor award six times. He was conferred with Padma Shri in 2009. The actor was honoured by Asianet Television channel in 2001 and Filmfare in 2005 with life-time achievement awards.

Thilakan, who held strong views on issues and people in the film world, never felt shy of fighting. This landed him in trouble on several occasions. He took on the powerful Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), which expelled him. He was also slapped with bans for criticizing the activities of film bodies.

This kept him away from cinema for several years. In 2010, he was excluded from the movie Christian Brothers at the behest of the Film Employees Federation of Kerala or FEFKA, the predominant film technicians association.

But these couldn’t stop Thilakan from acting for long. He made a forceful comeback last year with a strong character in the Renjith-directed Indian Rupee, which fetched him the state second best actor award for a sixth time.

This was followed by another powerful performance in ‘Ustad Hotel’ in which he acts along with Dulqar Salman, son of superstar Mammootty.

Leaders of political parties and film personalities paid glowing tributes to Thilakan. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said Thilakan was a great actor who could not be replaced by anyone.

Leader of opposition V S Achuthanandan said Thilakan was an indomitable acting talent who never yielded to any of the forces which strove to establish their supremacy in the world of Malayalam cinema. Local MP Shashi Tharoor said Thilakan was a symbol of masculinity and his death was a big loss for Malayalam film industry. Superstar Mohanlal said Thilakan was an actor he liked and respected most.

Meanwhile, fans of the actor in the UAE mourned his demise.

news@khaleejtimes.com