Veteran Malayalam actor GK Pillai, who was famous for playing the villain in action films and for performing stunts without using body doubles, passed away on Friday. He was 97 at the time of his demise and passed away because of an age-related illness.
After spending 13 years in both the Army and the Navy, Pillai retired from the military and launched his illustrious career in Malayalam cinema with the film ‘Snehaseema’ in 1954. The film was directed by SS Rajan. He acted in more than 325 films and later ventured into television, where he was active till two years ago.
Some of his most famous works include Ashwamedham, Aromalunni, Chola, Aanakkalari and Karyasthan, Thacholi Aambu, Palattu Kunjikannan and Padayottam, the first 70 mm film in South India.
A hugely respected actor, Pillai’s baritone voice was his distinguishing feature and it won him many roles and several film awards. He also dabbled in politics and was seen frequently in Congress party circles. He made his television venture in 2004 with the horror show Kadamattathu Kathanar. He gained more popularity after his stint in the 2011 show Kukumapoovu, where he played Colonel Jagannatha Varma.
He is survived by six children- Prathapachandran, Chandramohan, Priyadarshan, Sreekala, Sreelekha, and Sreekumari. His wife, Ulpalakshi Amma had predeceased him. The last rites will be held in Thiruvananthapuram later in the day.
This year saw several noted Malayalam artists leave for their heavenly abode, leaving a permanent void in the industry. Apart from that, Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar and Bollywood actor Sidharth Shukla’s death this year, too, came as a huge shock to not only their fans and family but the entire film fraternity.
(With IANS inputs)
