Ace Malayalam actor Oduvil Unnikrishnan passes away

Kozhikode (Kerala), May 27 (IANS) Ace Malayalam character actor Oduvil Unnikrishnan died Saturday morning at a private hospital here. He had been ailing for a while.

Lovingly called "Unniettan" by members of the Kerala film fraternity, Oduvil, 62, is survived by his wife and two children.

He will be cremated Sunday at his hometown near Palakkad.

His last film "Rasathanthram", starring superstar Mohanlal and directed by his close friend Satyan Anthikad, is currently running to packed houses in the state.

Starting his career as a theatre artist in the late 1960s, he went on to grace Malayalam films for nearly three decades, acting in more than 100 films.

Oduvil won the hearts of cine-goers through his subtle style of acting and his impressive dialogue delivery. A highly respected figure, he was known for his simplicity.

He was awarded the Kerala state award for his brilliant portrayal of the character 'Kaliappan' in director Adoor Gopalakrishnan's award winning film "Nizhalkuthu'" in 2002.

"His demise is certainly an irreparable loss to the entire film industry here. His acting in my film 'Nizhalkuthu' as an executioner was simply superb. He was a great actor," said Adoor.

Mohanlal, who acted with the departed actor for the last time in "Rasathanthram", said he was loved by one and all because of his pleasing manners.

"There is no need to say that he was a great actor. He was one who portrayed all the characters with a lot of subtlety. He will certainly be missed by all," said Mohanlal.