Popular Malayalam-Tamil actress Chitra passes away due to cardiac arrest

Renowned south Indian actress Chitra passed away due to cardiac arrest, today at her residence in Chennai. The sudden news about the versatile actress shocked her family as well as the Malayalam-Tamil film industries. The actress was 56 and was living with her husband Vijayaraghavan and daughter Mahalakshmi at Saligramam, Chennai.

Many popular celebrities and netizens shared their condolences and prayers to her family through social media after coming across the news. 

Chitra has appeared in more than 100 films since she began her career in 80s. Though she first appeared as a child artist in 1975 film Apoorva Raagangal helmed by K Balachander starring Kamal Haasan and Srividya, her debut as a mainstream actress was in 1983 with Mohanlal and Prem Nazir in the movie, Attakalasham. From then, she went on to act in many Tamil and Malayalam movies like Panchagni, Auto Raja, Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, Amaram, Ekalavyan and Devasuram among others. In the 80s and 90s, Chitra went on getting featured alongside big stars both in Malayalam and Tamil. After a break, she returned to the screen in the 2000s through films such as Mazhavillu and Soothradharan. 

She was popularly called as ‘Nallennai Chitra’, due to the fame she earned along the advertisement for an oil company. She was also a television actress, who has done serials such as Manasi, Kaialavu Manasu, Udhyogasthan and Asaigal. She was also a part of the popular Telugu serial Nagamma. 

The actress took a sabbatical from the industry after her marriage, and settled in Chennai with her husband Vijayaraghavan, who is a businessman.