Anurag Thakur mourns demise of Malayalam actor Innocent

NEW DELHI: Union Minister Anurag Thakur, on Monday, mourned the demise of Malayalam actor and the former member of parliament Innocent.

Taking to Twitter, Anurag shared a picture and wrote, "Sh Innocent Vareed Thekkethala (fmr MP) was a gifted actor who worked in over 700 films; he filled people's lives with happiness through his comedy. My sincere condolences to his family and admirers."

The veteran actor and former member of Parliament Innocent Vareed Thekkethala passed away at a private hospital in Kochi on Sunday at the age of 75.

The actor, a cancer survivor was reportedly not keeping well for some time and was admitted to the hospital on March 3 with respiratory problems. He passed away at 10:30 pm on Sunday night, the VPS Lakeshore Hospital in Kochi said in a statement.

He is survived by his wife Alice, and a son, Sonnet. The hospital said that the non-functioning of many organs and a heart attack led to the actor's death.

A few years ago, the thespian had been diagnosed with cancer but in 2015 he announced that he was finally free of the disease. He had written about his battle with cancer in his book 'Laughter in the Cancer Ward'. The actor, who was last seen in Prithviraj Sukumaran's 2022 film 'Kaduva', has done over 700 films in Malayalam in a career that spanned over five decades.

He had also served as president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) for 12 consecutive years. Considered one of the best comedians in Malayalam cinema, Innocent also appeared in villainous roles. With his unique voice and mannerisms, he had endeared himself to countless cinema lovers as well as a toast of mimicry artists.

Born in Inrinjalakuda in 1948, Innocent entered the film industry in 1972 with the movie 'Nrityashala' starring Prem Nazir and Jayabharathi. He played comedy roles in 'Ramji Rao Speaking', 'Mannar Mathai Speaking', 'Kilukkam', 'Godfather', 'Vietnam Colony', 'Nadodikattu', 'Manichitrathazhu' and 'Kalyanaraman' among others.