Veteran Malayalam Actress KPAC Lalitha Passes Away At 74; Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Mourns Her Sad Demise

Wednesday morning started on a sad note for all Malayali fans as Veteran actress K.P.A.C Lalitha passed away at her son’s house in Kochi. The actress left for her heavenly abode on Tuesday night, just three days before her 74th birthday. Due to prolonged illness and multiple health issues, Lalitha was hospitalized in November but later she was shifted to her sons’ residence as her health was showing improvement. Lalitha’s tragic demise has sent shockwaves across the Malayalam film industry.

After her demise, condolences have started pouring in from all corners. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has mourned her sad death and said that the Malayalam cinema has lost an actress who has acted for many generations and marked her own space. He said. "Lalitha has become part of the history of an era, penetrating the hearts of different generations with her acting skills.”

Actor Prithviraj Sukumaran also took to his Twitter handle and paid his tribute by sharing a picture of K.P.A.C Lalitha and wrote, “Rest in peace Lalitha aunty! It was a privilege to have shared the silver screen with you! One of the finest actors I’ve known.”

For the unversed, in 2016 under Pinarayi Vijayan, Lalitha was made the Chairperson of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka academy. At the age of 10 years, Lalitha made her acting debut through a play and she later joined the prominent drama group Kerala People’s Arts Club (KPAC).

She had starred in over 550 films and is the recipient of two National Awards. She is best known for portraying the roles of a mother on the silver screen. She made her acting debut with the Malayalam film Kootukudumbam.

In 5 decades of her career, K.P.A.C Lalitha has given us many blockbuster movies and amongst them are ‘Postmane Kananilla’, ‘Ponnapuram Kotta’, ‘Gandhinagar 2nd Street’, ‘Vellanakalude Naadu’, ‘Manu Uncle’ to name a few. A winner of four Kerala State Film awards, KPAC Lalitha was fondly called Lalithachechi by all. Her demise has left all the Malyali industry shocked and heartbroken.