Malayalam actor Poojappura Ravi, known for comic roles, passes away aged 86

Veteran Malayalam actor Poojappura Ravi has passed away

Veteran Malayalam actor Poojappura Ravi has passed away in Marayur, Idukki district, Kerala. He was 86. He was suffering from breathing difficulties and passed away while being taken to the hospital.

Poojappura Ravi was a stage actor and was a part of the drama institution Kalanilyam Drama Vision. He had appeared in Malayalam films starting in the mid-1970s, as well as in many black and white movies produced in Kerala.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed grief over Ravi's demise and mentioned that his death is a great loss to the world of cinema. "Condolences on the demise of famous actor Poojapura Ravi. He entered the field of art by conquering the hearts of theatre lovers. The actor, who had a lot of fans across Kerala, entered the film world later and went on to win the hearts of people through the portrayal of comic characters. Poojapura Ravi followed an expressive acting style. His demise is a great loss to the art and culture scene. Condolences to his family and colleagues," he wrote on Facebook.

Ravi is said to have acted in over 800 movies and 4,000 plays. He made his acting debut with ‘Veluthampi Dalawa' in 1962, and rose to prominence with his comic roles. He was also a part of several prominent movies such as ‘Poochakkoru Mookuthi', ‘Odaruthammava Aalariyam', ‘Mazha Peyyunnu Maddalam Kottunnu', ‘Kallan Kappalil Thanne', ‘Mutharamkunnu PO', ‘Kadathanadan Ambady', ‘Dilliwala Rajakumaran', ‘Love in Singapore', ‘Ormakal Marikkumo' and ‘Manjadi Kuru' among others.

He was last seen in the 2016 movie ‘Guppy' which starred Tovino Thomas in the lead.

Real name Raveendran Nair, the actor was born at Poojappura in Thiruvananthapuram. He displayed a taste for the arts quite early in his life. Known for his standout voice and style of dialogue delivery, he first began his career as a performer using his voice in radio plays, when he was still a school student. His voice soon became familiar to the audience through Akashavani's series of children's plays. The play Oraal Koodi Kallanayi was noticed for his performance.

Kalanilayam drama troupe founder Jagathy NK Achari mentored the actor and also changed his name to Poojappura Ravi, which became his identity in the film world, too.