Kochi: National Award-winning Malayalam actor Salim Kumar, who rose from Kerala’s mimicry circuit to become one of the most versatile performers in Malayalam cinema, died at a private hospital here while undergoing treatment for pneumonia, family sources said.
He was 56.
He died at around 10.43 pm on Saturday. The actor, who had undergone a liver transplant a few years ago, was admitted to the hospital earlier in the day and was placed on ventilator support.
According to family sources, he developed sudden health complications and was rushed to the hospital, where he breathed his last. He is survived by his wife, Sunitha, and their two children.
Mammootty took to X and penned an emotional farewell. He wrote, “Salim, who laughed and made others laugh, thought and made others think, and occasionally cried and made others cry, now, all you do is make me cry. Your departure, dear brother, has become an unending sorrow…”
Kerala Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan also mourned the actor’s death and wrote on X, “He wasn’t just the prince of laughter to me, #SalimKumar was a deeply connected soul, fearless in his political beliefs and proud to say he stood with Congress. A versatile genius who could make us laugh and cry with the same face. Malayalam cinema lost a legend, and I lost a brother.”
Several figures from the Malayalam film industry, including actor Dileep, MLA and actor Ramesh Pisharody, and Nadirshah, visited the hospital where Salim was admitted.
In a career spanning over three decades, Salim appeared in more than 300 films. The actor, director and writer, who worked predominantly in Malayalam cinema, started his career as a host on the comedy show Comicola. Later, in 1997, he made his Malayalam film debut with Ishtamanu Nooru Vattam.
However, his major breakthrough came with Thenkasipattanam in 2000 alongside Dileep. The film was one of the highest-grossing releases of that year. He went on to feature in several films with Dileep, including Ee Parakkum Thalika and Meesa Madhavan, among others. He established himself as one of the finest comic actors in the industry.
Later, he successfully transitioned into serious and emotionally layered roles, earning praise from both critics and audiences. In 2010, he won the National Film Award for Best Actor for his powerful performance in Adaminte Makan Abu. His directorial venture Karutha Joothan won the 2017 Kerala State Film Award for Best Story. He also won the Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actor for Achanurangatha Veedu (2005) and the Kerala State Television Award for Best Actor in 2013.
