For the entire Tamil cinema industry, the news about the demise of versatile actor Marimuthu came as a bolt from the blue as every artist, from the top stars to the supporting thespians, has been mourning for the loss of a talented actor, who breathed his last on Friday - September 8 at the age of 56 due to cardiac arrest. Regarded as an unsung hero, Marimuthu has led a life that was blended with severe tragedies and several triumphs. 

Aimed to become a director, Marimuthu ended up as an actor who rubbed shoulders with icons on the silver screens and growing actors in the soap operas. His journey in a soap opera had taken his name to every household through which he gained a sharp prominence. Though his directorial venture had faltered with setbacks, his career as an actor has won hearts across and beyond the borders. 

From battling hunger in his early life to hunting prospects in the cinema industry, Marimuthu's story was filled with tragedies and his stern believes, and of course, with a lot to remember. Let's revisit his life and his final minutes, 

Born on July 12, 1967, in Pasumalai in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu, Marimuthu's childhood was flanked by distress as he was raised in a hamlet. His family was into farming and from his childhood, Marimuthu was an atheist and a strong critic of astrology, a trait that he strongly stood with till his death. Sharing his distressed life in several interviews, Marimuthu had said that he had fostered his dreams for cinema at his young age. 

He said that he was the first person to wear sandals and to have more literacy in his village. After etching cinema as his future, he left his home in Theni in 1990 and came to Chennai with an aim of starting his career in cinema as a director. Little did he know that he had taken up an uphill battle and that more struggles and challenges were in the offing. 

Determined to pursue his goal, Marimuthu endured everything that came in his way. In his efforts to become a director, Marimuthu worked as a waiter in hotels to win breads. He was staying with his friends and left with very less source of income. In an interview, he said that when he had no money to afford food, he slept with hunger for three days and his battle with hunger led him to consume just pickle in his friends room. In the midst of such ordeals, there was no turning back. 

Later, Marimuthu's keen interest in poetry and literature inspired him to work with Vairamuthu. When Marimuthu approached Vairamuthu to join as his assistant, the latter asked about his qualifications. Immediately, Marimuthu had surprised the legendary lyricist by sharing his poetries. With his interest, Vairamuthu made Marimuthu as his assistant, which opened doors for an expanding and competitive cinema industry. 

Marimuthu developed a good rapport with Vairamuthu in a fashion that the latter participated and led the former's marriage in Theni. After working with Vairamuthu, Marimuthu took a major leap towards becoming a director as he became an assistant director with Rajkiran for the movies Aranmanai Killi that hit the screens in 1993 and Ellame En Rasathan, released in 1995. 

After being garnered with a significant reception, Marimuthu went on to work as the assistant director with Mani Ratnam, Vasanth, Seeman, and SJ Surya. He worked as an assistant director in scores of movies acted by top actors. Fifteen years after coming to Chennai, Marimuthu had a first breakthrough after co-directing the movie Manmadhan, starred by Simbu. It was released in 2004 and four years later, in 2008, Marimuthu made his directorial debut. 

In 2008, he directed the movie 'Kannum Kannum' which was starred by Prasanna and Udhayathara. However, the movie didn't go well commercially as expected but won a critical praise. He had a decent reception and six years, Marimuthu had in 2014 helmed his second directorial in the movie 'Pulivaal', which had a star-studded cast including Prasanna, Vimal, Soori, Oviya, Ananya, and Ineya. Pulivaal was based on the Malayalam movie Chaappa Kurishu.

Amid his stint as a director, Marimuthu had also acted in the movies and his acting worked out well than his directorial ventures. Director Mysskin introduced Marimuthu as an actor in his 2011-movie 'Yuddham Sei', in which he played a corrupt police officer. The film's success gave him a huge popularity and went on to act in the supporting roles in the movies including Aarohanam (2012), Jayam Ravi-starred Nimirndhu Nil (2014), and Karthi-starred Komban in 2015. 

Though his stint as a director didn't lift off well, his appearance as an actor had cemented him a fanbase and he has acted in nearly fifty movies. Marimuthu's performance in the movie Marudhu with Vishal made the latter to sign him on his next project 'Kaththi Sandai'. Some of his notable movies include Dhanush-starred 'Kodi', Vijay-starred 'Bairavaa', Udhayanidhi Stalin-starred 'Ippadai Vellum', Karthi-starred 'Kadaikutty Singam', Mari Selvaraj-directorial 'Pariyerum Perumal', Karthi-starred 'Sultan', Sivakarthikeyan-starred 'Doctor', and Kamal Haasan-starred Vikram. 

In what has become his peak period of his cinema career, Marimuthu went on to act with Rajinikanth in the movie 'Jailer' that was released recently and is amassing a box office success. Marimuthu also had a key project in his kitty - Indian 2 starring by Kamal Haasan. Furthermore, he had become a household name by acting in a soap opera 'Ethir Neechal', which is being telecasted in a Tamil channel. Through his acting in Ethir Neechal, he was awarded a best villain of 2023 in soap operas and it took him to people of all ages and has become an end of his bustling career. 

Marimuthu's final minutes

Celebrated as an eager beaver, Marimuthu had breathed his last as a synonym of a talented artist and has become one of the unsung heroes of Kollywood. On Friday - September 8, hardly days after he gave interviews to news outlets and participated in a game show, at around 8.30 am, he had actively engaged in dubbing for his soap opera Ethir Neechal along with some of his cast members. 

From nowhere, Marimuthu developed a health discomfort and left the dubbing room owing to suffocation. His fellow cast members thought that he could be waiting outside. However, Marimuthu was nowhere to be seen. Baffled by his disappearance, they called him over the phone and her daughter told the cast members that Marimuthu was admitted at a hospital in Vadapalani, Chennai. 

Shocked to know, the cast members rushed to the hospital only to hear much-shocker from the doctors that Marimuthu has passed away due to cardiac arrest. It has been reported that after feeling a health setback, Marimuthu himself had reached the hospital and informed to his parents. One of his co-actors, Kamalesh said that everything had happened in just minutes and that his demise is a devastating loss for the industry.

He was survived by his wife and two children and after learning about his untimely demise, several leaders and celebrities, from Chief Minister MK Stalin to Rajinikanth, had expressed condolences to the bereaving family. His family has announced that the last rites will take place on Saturday at his hometown in Theni. Sources in the know say that Marimuthu had planned to move to his dream house soon, but unfortunately, his death came sooner.