Veteran Malayalam actor Unnikrishnan Namboothiri passes away days after COVID-19 recovery

Veteran Malayalam and Tamil actor Unnikrishnan Namboothiri passed away on 20 January (Wednesday) at a hospital in Kerala at the age of 98 years. The actor, who had charmed viewers with his benevolent grandfather roles, died a day after it was reported that he had recovered from COVID-19 .

As per media reports, he was diagnosed with pneumonia and the coronavirus a few weeks ago. He was admitted to a private hospital in Kannur, Kerala for the treatment. After having recovered from the viral disease, he was discharged on 19 January. However, he developed an infection the next day and had to be immediately taken back to the hospital where he breathed his last.

The actor had started his career in the 1990s when he was well over 70 years of age. But his performances have seeped into the psyche of cinema lovers. Some of his notable works are Kaliyattam, Kalyana Raman, Madhuranombarakattu, Pokkiri Raja and Rappakal.

Upon hearing the news of his demise, actors and other members of the film fraternity wrote their condolences on social media.

Actor Kamal Haasan shared a picture of the late actor and wrote how Unnikrishnan had managed to make the audience laugh for 18 long years with his toothless smile and endearing performances. He also repented that Unnikrishnan passed away when he was just two years away from being a centenarian. The two worked together in Pammal K Sambandam.

73ஆவது வயதில் நடிக்க வந்து 18 வருடங்களாக மலையாளிகளைச் சிரிக்கவைத்தவர் உன்னிகிருஷ்ணன் நம்பூதிரி. இளமை துள்ளும் தாத்தாவாகக் கலையுலகில் வளையவந்தவர். இன்னும் 2 ஆண்டுகளில் சதமடிக்கவேண்டியவர் இன்று நம்மை நீங்கியிருக்கிறார். நெஞ்சார்ந்த அஞ்சலிகள். pic.twitter.com/Dqz6uHzAJ4

— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) January 20, 2021

Actor Mohanlal also took to Twitter to pay his tributes.

ആദരാഞ്ജലികൾ pic.twitter.com/tbgAovPoHT — Mohanlal (@Mohanlal) January 20, 2021

ഭാവാഭിനയ പ്രധാനമായ റോളുകളില്‍ തിളങ്ങിയിരുന്ന നടനായിരുന്നു ഉണ്ണികൃഷ്ണന്‍ നമ്പൂതിരി. എന്നും ഇടതുപക്ഷ സഹയാത്രികനായിരുന്ന അദ്ദേഹം സിപിഐ എമ്മിനോട് ആത്മബന്ധം പുലര്‍ത്തി. കലാലോകത്തിനു വലിയ നഷ്ടമാണ് ഈ വേര്‍പാട്. വ്യക്തിപരമായും ഇതൊരു നഷ്ടമാണ്. pic.twitter.com/ZmyqVfncBa

— Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) January 20, 2021

Unnikrishnan had started his acting career with the 1996 film Deshadanam, according to The News Minute. The critically acclaimed Malayalam movie opened doors for the actor. He continued working till 2014. Having worked predominantly in the Malayalam industry, one of his most memorable roles was in the Tamil film Kandukondain Kandukondain, which starred Aishwarya Rai and Tabu as Unnikrishnan’s granddaughters.

Unnikrishnan is survived by two sons and two daughters.