Malayalam actress KPAC Lalitha passes away at 74

Veteran Malayalam actress KPAC Lalitha passed away on Tuesday (Feb 22). She was 74. The actress reportedly breathed her last at her son’s residence in Kochi. KPAC Lalitha was hospitalized for multiple health issues in November, however, the actress was later shifted to her son Sidharth’s residence in Kochi, as her health was improving.

The demise of the iconic actress has come as a shock to the Malayalam movie industry.

KPAC Lalitha who debuted as an actor through plays at the age of 10 years, later joined the KPAC (Kerala People’s Arts Club), a prominent drama troupe from Kerala. She made her debut in the Malayalam film industry with the 1969 release ‘Kootu Kudumbam’, wherein she played a character named Saraswathi. Later she essayed major iconic roles in the films ‘Postmane Kananilla’, ‘Ponnapuram Kotta’, ‘Gandhinagar 2nd Street’, ‘Vellanakalude Naadu’, ‘Manu Uncle’, ‘Manichitrathazhu’, ‘Thenmavin Kombathu’ ‘Manassinakkare’ and ‘Njan Prakashan’. In her career spanning over five decades, KPAC Lalitha has worked in over 550 films. From the prostitute Kalyani in Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s ‘Swayamvaram’ to the lovely Omana in ‘Kanalkkattu’ to the serial actor Akashavani in the recent ‘Varane Avashyamund’, KPAC Lalitha has breathed life into numerous characters.

KPAC Lalitha has bagged the National Film Award for the best-supporting actress for the film ‘Amaram’ in the year 1990 and in the year 2000 for the film Shantham. The actress has also won the Kerala State Film Award for the second best actress for the films ‘Neela Ponman’, ‘Aaravam’, ‘Amaram’, ‘Kadinjool Kalyanam’, ‘Godfather’ and ‘Sandesham’.