Irreparable losses in Kollywood!

Our much loved stars make Kollywood such a huge galaxy. It is not easy to reach the pinnacle of such a competitive industry or have sustained success, without the love and adulation of K-town’s ardent fans. It is these fans who pour their adoration and give the stars a special place in their hearts, minds and lives. When one of these stars passes away, it leaves a huge sense of loss on not just the film fraternity, but also the masses of fans. In recent times, we have lost many of our favourite stars from Kollywood and we would like to take this opportunity to pay homage to the departed souls.

Padma Vibhushan SP Balasubrahmanyam or SPB as he was widely known, is a person whose mellifluous voice all of us have listened to at some point of time or the other in our lives. Some of us have grown up listenening to his voice all our lives. SPB’s passing at the age of 74 on 25th September, in 2020, was a loss not just for Kollywood but Indian Cinema as a whole.

Padmashri Vivek, or Chinna Kalaivanar as he was fondly called, was one of the most popular comedians and character artistes in the last two decades. He was well known not just for his acting but also his social initiatives, especially his sapling planting. Amidst the peak of the Corona Pandemic, we lost Vivek on April 17th, in 2021. He was 59 at the time of death. Though initially his death was attributed to him having taken the vaccine for Corona, it was later revealed that he had congestive heart failure and the National Human Rights Commission ruled out any link between the vaccine and his death.

RNR Manohar, known for his portrayal of negative roles, started his career as a child artiste. He then went on to assist director KS Ravikumar and has also penned the dialogues for a lot of movies. RNR Manohar has also directed two movies – Maasilamani and Vellore Maavattam. He breathed his last on 17th November, in 2021, due to complications arising from COVID-19. His last project, the critically acclaimed webseries Vilangu, was released post his death on an OTT platform, in 2022.

A man who made us all laugh in countless scenes in over a 100 movies, actor Mayilsamy made his debut as an atmosphere artiste in the 1984 movie Dhavani Kanavugal.

Pandu, an actor we knew for his comic roles, was also famous for his funny facial expressions. A lesser known fact about Pandu is that he was also a graphic designer who had received a Doctor of Philosophy in arts graduate from France. He is credited with having designed the party symbol and logo of Tamil Nadu’s current opposition party – All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). Having debuted as an actor in 1970, Pandu has hundreds of movies under his filmography, with his last on-screen appearance being in the 2020 movie Indha Nilai Maarum. He breathed his last on May 6th, 2021, at the age of 74, having succumbed to COVID related complications.

Actor, producer and writer Venkat Suba is another star who was claimed by COVID. Having debuted in the 2004 movie Azhagiya Theeye and being a part of over 15 movies and many TVserials, Venkat Suba breathed his last on May 29th, 2021.

Having directed a National Award winning movie as his debut, director SP Jhananathan burst onto the big screens as a whiff of fresh air with his unique style of filmmaking and scripts. All his movies – Iyarkai, E, Peranmai, Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai and Laabam, left quite a mark on audiences. He was also the writer of the Jayam Ravi starrer Bhooloham and produced his 2015 movie Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai. After undergoing treatment following a cardiac arrest, SP Jhananathan breathed his last of 14th March, 2021. His last movie Laabam, was released posthumously, 6 months after his death.

Padmashri Vivek, or Chinna Kalaivanar as he was fondly called, was one of the most popular comedians and character artistes in the last two decades. He was well known not just for his acting but also his social initiatives, especially his sapling planting.

KV Anand was very popular for his movies as a cinematographer and director. A commercial director with many hits to his name, KV Anand began his career as a photojournalist and was highly celebrated for his works and even won a National Award for his debut movie as a cinematographer – Thenmavin Kombath (1994). His last work as a cinematographer was the Superstar starrer Sivaji (2007), directed by Shankar. He then went on to direct seven movies, with frequent collaborations with actor Suriya. His last directorial Kaappaan, was also with Suriya, Arya and Mohanlal. KV Anand’s passing on 30th April 2021, came as a rude shock to everybody.

The list of Kollywood stars who breathed their last in 2022 include singer Bamba Bakya, actor and director Prathap Pothen, veteran Poo Ramu, Salim Ghouse, Hari Vairavan (of Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu fame) and comedy actor Siva Narayana Moorthy. Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, who has sung thousands of songs and bore the epitaphs of Queen of Melody and Nightingale of India, breathed her last on February 6th, 2022. Veteran actress KPAC Lalitha, who has acted in over 550 movies, passed away on 22nd February, 2022.

Director, actor and writer E. Ramdoss, started his career as a screenwriter before working as an assistant to Manivannan before debuting as a director with Aayiram Pookkal Malarattum, in 1986. He went on to direct five more movies and has penned the story and dialogues for around 19 movies. Having begun acting in 1984, he has been a part of over 30 movies. E. Ramdoss passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest on 23rd January, 2023.

TP Gajendran, who was well known for his acting in comedy scenes, was also an acclaimed director. Having made his directorial debut in 1988 with Veedu Manaivi Makkal, he directed 16 movies including 1 in Kannada and also directed a TV serial titled Idhayam. He acted in over 75 movies and his last on screen appearance was in the 2022 movie Panni Kutty. TP Gajendran breathed his last on February 5th, 2023.

A man who made us all laugh in countless scenes in over a 100 movies, actor Mayilsamy made his debut as an atmosphere artiste in the 1984 movie Dhavani Kanavugal. Mayilsamy is also popular for hosting comedy shows and for being a celebrity judge on these shows. He had attended a Shivarathri festival on February 18th night and was on his way back home when he suffered a cardiac arrest. He was declared brought dead at the hospital he was taken to, on February 19th, 2023. His death came as a huge shock to everybody. Mayilsamy was very popular for his philanthropy and many of his co-stars have revealed that he used to go the extra mile, to help everybody.

Balachander, or Manobala as we know him, was a multi-faceted personality with attributes as an actor, director, producer and most recently, YouTuber. A man who caught the audience’s attention with his unique body language and dialogue delivery, ensured that many of his comedy scenes remain etched in the memories of movie audiences. Having started out as an assistant to director Bharathiraja, Manobala made his own directorial debut with Agaya Gangai in 1982. He then went on to direct many critical and commercial hits, directing the top stars of his time. Manobala has also directed a Hindi movie as well as a TV serial. He went on to star in hundreds of movies and was also popular for his YouTube videos. Having undergone an angioplasty in January of this year, Manobala breathed his last recently, on May 3rd. His sudden passing came as a massive shock.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the celebrities who passed away recently and wish to convey our deepest condolences to their families. Though these stars are no longer with us, their memories shall live on forever in the hearts of their fans. 

– MKV

The list of Kollywood stars who breathed their last in 2022 include singer Bamba Bakya, actor and director Prathap Pothen, veteran Poo Ramu, Salim Ghouse, Hari Vairavan (of Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu fame) and comedy actor Siva Narayana Moorthy. Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, who has sung thousands of songs and bore the epitaphs of Queen of Melody and Nightingale of India, breathed her last on February 6th, 2022. Veteran actress KPAC Lalitha, who has acted in over 550 movies, passed away on 22nd February, 2022.