National award-winning actor Salim Kumar passes away

KOCHI: Renowned actor Salim Kumar (56) has passed away. He died while undergoing treatment at Amrita Hospital in Ernakulam. He had been receiving treatment for a liver-related illness and had previously undergone a liver transplant. His mortal remains will be taken to Paravur Town Hall in Ernakulam at 9 a.m., where the public can pay their final respects. The funeral is scheduled to be held on Sunday evening. He is survived by his wife, Sunitha, and sons Chandu and Aromal.

Born on October 9, 1969, in North Paravur in Ernakulam district, Salim Kumar was the youngest son of Gangadharan and Kausalya. He was known to be a strong admirer of social reformer Sahodaran Ayyappan. He completed his schooling at Government Lower Primary School and Government Boys High School in North Paravur. After finishing his pre-degree studies at SNM College, Maliankara, he graduated from Maharaja's College, Ernakulam.

Salim Kumar won the mimicry competition at the Mahatma Gandhi University Youth Festival three times. He began his career in mimicry at Cochin Kalabhavan and later joined the mimicry troupe Cochin Sagar. He was also a popular presence on the television comedy show Comic Cola, which was aired on Asianet.

Salim Kumar made his acting debut in 1996 with the film Ishtamanu Nooru Vattam. The 2000 blockbuster Thenkasipattanam proved to be a turning point in his career. Although he began his acting career as a comedian, he later earned widespread acclaim for portraying nuanced and emotionally powerful characters. Over a career spanning nearly three decades, Salim Kumar appeared in close to 300 films. Some of his most memorable performances came in popular Malayalam films such as Kalyanaraman, CID Moosa, Mayavi, Meesha Madhavan, Thilakkam, Pulival Kalyanam, Chathikkatha Chanthu, and Chess. He also acted in three Tamil films and one Odia film.

His versatility as an actor earned him several prestigious honours. Salim Kumar won the Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actor for his performance in director Lal Jose's Achanurangatha Veedu. He later received the National Film Award for Best Actor and the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor in 2010 for his acclaimed performance in Adaminte Makan Abu. He continued to add to his list of achievements, winning the Kerala State Film Award for Best Comedian in 2013 for Ayalum Njanum Thammil. In 2016, he received the Kerala State Film Award for Best Story Writer for Karutha Joothan. He was also honoured with the Kerala State Television Award for Best Actor in 2013.

In addition to acting, Salim Kumar ventured into filmmaking and directed movies including Compartment, Karutha Joothan, and Daivame Kaithozham K. Kumarakanam.