In a shocking piece of news, legendary Malayalam actor Nedumudi Venu has on Monday passed away at the age of 73 due to age-related ailments. Best known for his exceptional and versatile performances, Venu was admitted to a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram and he had been getting treated in the Intensive Care Unit. However, his health had deteriorated and breathed his last on Monday afternoon. 

Celebrated as a doyen of the Indian cinema, Venu had acted in more than 500 films, primarily in Malayalam and also in Tamil. Born on 22 May 1948, Venu's birthname was Keshavan Venugopalen and as he was born in Nedumudi in Alappuzha, Nedumudi has prefixed before his stage name. The 73-year-old actor had earlier recovered from Covid-19 and on Sunday, October 10, he had developed an uneasiness was rushed to the hospital where he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. 

Venu was active in the industry since 1978 and he had started his career as a journalist and then became a popular face in the Malayalam cinema industry. He had worked with several legendary actors and scripted a significant history in Indian cinema. As a Mridangam player, Venu was a member of Kavalam Narayana Panicker's dramas and he had made his debut in cinema through acting in the movie 'Thambu', directed by Aravindan, which was released in 1978. 

From then, his career spanning four decades had presented several popular appearances and earned him an immense reputation not only from the fans but also from the fraternities. Some of his notable Malayalam movies include Chitram, Bharathram, His Highness Abdullah, Thenmavin Kombath, Devasuram, Pavithram, Ishtam, Chandralekha, and Vandanam.

He also had a fanbase in Tamil through acting in the movies Indian, Anniyan, Poi Solla Porom, Silambattam, and Sarvam Thaala Mayam. Recently, he had appeared in the Nava Rasa anthology series that was released this August. In the series, he had in the role of the school principal in 'Summer of 92' that was starred by Yogi Babu. He had also been acting in Kamal Haasan's upcoming movie 'Indian 2' helmed by Shankar. Venu had won National Film Awards three times in 1990, 2003, and 2006 for his roles in 'His Highness Abdullah', 'Margam', and 'Minukku' respectively.

He had also won Kerala state film Awards, Asianet Film Awards, and Filmfare Awards. He also had directed the movie 'Pooram' which was released in 1989. He also had featured in an English movie titled 'Chaurahen'. Venu will be next seen in the Malayalam movie 'Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham', directed by Priyadarshan, in which Mohanlal will be starring in the lead role. As Venu has left a glorifying legacy to the Indian cinema, hundreds of fans and fraternities across and beyond the borders have been paying tribute to the legendary actor and expressing condolences to his family members.