THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Actor cum musician R Subbalakshmi who appeared in Malayalam movies for the past two decades died on Thursday at Thiruvananthapuram. Subbalakshmi was suffering from age-related ailments and breathed her last in a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. She was 87.

Over the years, Subbalakshmi made her presence felt in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Sanskrit languages. She was also a popular choice for directors in many hit commercials. Famous Indian dancer and actress Thara Kalyan is her daughter.

Subbalakshmi often played the typical Muthassi ( Granny) role in movies but won many hearts for her inimitable portrayal albeit having less screen time. Nandanam,​ Kalyanaraman,​ Rapakal,​ Thilakam,​ Pandipada are her most popular movies. Her role as Karthyayyani in ‘Kalyanaraman’ still brings a smile across every Malayali face for Subbalakshmi’s love story plot in the movie.