Malayalam actor Kottayam Pradeep passes away at 61 after cardiac arrest

Malayalam actor Kottayam Pradeep passed away today after suffering a heart attack. The actor, who had complained of physical uneasiness last night, was rushed to a private hospital in Kottayam. The actor, who was 61 years old, breathed his last around 4am today.

Pradeep, who made his debut with IV Sasi’s Ee Nadu Innale Vare, had gone on to do a variety of roles in films as well as TV serials. He is know for his comedy in films such as Kattapanayile Rithwik Roshan, Oru Vadakkan Selfie, Ennum Eppozhum, Amar Akbar Antony and Adi Kapyare Koottamani.

He had also played a supporting role in Gautham Vasudev Menon’s Tamil film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa. He reprised the role of the female protagonist's uncle in its Hindi remake Ekk Deewana Tha, which had Amy Jackson and Prateik Babbar. Pradeep had also acted in several Kollywood films including Vijay's Theri, Nayanthara's Raja Rani and Udayanidhi Stalin's Nanbennda. 

The actor, who hails from Thiruvathukkal in Kottayam and had worked as an LIC agent, had been active in cultural events from his school days – having debuted on stage as a child artiste through NN Pillai’s play Eeshwaran Arrestil. He had been active in the theatre circuit for four decades since his debut. Before his movie debut, the actor had also starred in several TV serials including Chumma.

The actor has acted in over 70 films in his career spanning 21 years. His previous releases were Asif Ali’s Kunjeldho and Dheeraj Antony’s Michael’s Coffee House. The actor will also be seen in Mohanlal’s upcoming film Aaraattu, which is set to hit theatres on February 18. Pradeep had also done a role in Joju George’s upcoming film Peace. The actor is survived by wife Maya and two children.