Veteran actor cum politician Innocent is no more
Veteran Malayalam actor-cum-politician Innocent passed away on Sunday (March 26) in Kochi. He was 75. He had been undergoing treatment for cancer-related complications at VPS Lakeshore Hospital in Kochi.
On Sunday, the condition of the actor turned very critical, according to a medical bulletin issued by the hospital authorities. The actor was under Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support at the hospital. His condition was critical for the past few days.
He was admitted to a private hospital in Kochi two weeks back due to breathing issues. The 75-year-old veteran comedian and character actor was diagnosed with cancer some years ago.
Innocent Vareed Thekkethala who is prominently known for his peculiar humour roles in Malayalam cinema has acted in over 500 films across different languages and has bagged numerous prestigious honours, including three Kerala State Film Awards, for his performances.
The actor-turned-politician has also served as the Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha representing the Chalakudy constituency from 2014 to 2019 and was the president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) for around 15 years.
Innocent is also popular for his writings and has published five books namely ‘Cancer Wardile Chiri’ (an account of his experiences while undergoing treatment for cancer), ‘Chirikku Pinnil’, ‘Mazha Kannadi’, ‘Irinjalakkudakku Chuttum’ and ‘Njan Innocent’. He is survived by his wife Alice and son Sonnet Thekkethala
