Veteran Malayalam actress KPAC Lalitha passed away on Tuesday night at her Kochi house, three days before her 74th birthday. She was ailing for a while according to reports. The actress was made Chairperson of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy in 2016 when Pinarayi Vijayan became the Chief Minister. Soon after the news broke, Vijayan in his message said that the Malayalam film industry has lost an actress who acted with many generations of actors, created her own space, and made a mark which will always be etched in the minds of all.
Lalitha started acting at the age of 10 and later joined the Kerala People’s Arts Club (KPAC), a prominent Leftist drama troupe. There she was given the screen name Lalitha and later when she started acting in films, K.P.A.C. was added to her screen name to differentiate it from another actress known as Lalitha.
In a career spanning over five decades, she had donned the greasepaint in over 550 films.
Several celebrities took to Twitter to offer condolences and express their shock. Actress Keerthy Suresh wrote, “Extremely saddened to hear about the passing of the legendary KPAC Lalitha aunty. My heartfelt condolences to the family.”
Rang De Basanti actor Siddharth wrote, “KPAC Lalitha was a legendary presence in Malayalam cinema for more than 5 decades. 500+ films, 2 national awards, 4 state awards – but the impact she will continue to have on our art and culture is immeasurable.”
KPAC Lalitha was a legendary presence in Malayalam cinema for more than 5 decades. 500+ films, 2 national awards, 4 state awards – but the impact she will continue to have on our art and culture is immeasurable.— Siddharth (@DearthOfSid) February 22, 2022
Superstar Mammootty wrote in Malayali, “I have lost someone I cherish so much, respectfully with memories that will never leave.”
വളരെ വളരെ പ്രിയപ്പെട്ട ഒരാളെ എനിക്ക് നഷ്ടമായിരിക്കുന്നു , വിട്ടു പോകാത്ത ഓർമ്മകളോടെ ആദരപൂർവ്വം. pic.twitter.com/QqlyDmOEm5— Mammootty (@mammukka) February 22, 2022
Lalitha debuted with the film Kootukudumbham, directed by ace director K.S. Sethumadhavan. A winner of two national and four Kerala State Film awards, she was practically indispensable to legendary filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan in most of his films.
Until last year when her health deteriorated, she was very active in the film industry.
Married to the enigmatic director Bharathan, who passed away in 1998, Lalitha was at the flat of her son, actor-director Siddarth, when she passed away.
She is survived by a daughter also.
(With IANS inputs)
