Veteran actress Sukumari dies in Chennai

CHENNAI: Noted versatile actress Sukumari died at a private hospital in Chennai Tuesday evening. She was 73.

The end came while she was undergoing treatment at the Global hospital I Chennai for burn injuries. She suffered burn injuries while she lighted the lamp in her pooja room in Chennai. She had suffered 40 % burn injuries. Both her kidneys were dysfunctional and were undergoing dialysis.

Her only son Dr Suresh Kumar, working in Chennai Medical College, was at her bedside at the time of her death.

Sukumari has primarily acted in Malayalam and Tamil films. She has been acting since she was 10 years old and has acted in various roles.

The total number of her films is presumed to be about 2500. In 2003, she was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India for her contributions towards the arts recently and won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Namma Gramam in 2010.

She has received Kerala State Film Awards for best supporting actor four times.

She was born in Nagercoil in 1938. Sukumari was first cousin to Travancore Sisters, Lalitha, Padmini and Ragini. She learned dance with them and mastered Keralanadanam, Kathakali and Bharathanatyam.

Sukumari was noticed by a director when she went to the sets of a film with Padmini, and debuted in the lead role in Orarivu, a Tamil film. She was married to director A Bhimsingh and died when she was only 30.

She has played many notable mother roles. She has acted in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Hindi films and used her own voice in all languages without using dubbing artists.

Lizy Priyadarshan, wife of noted director Priyadarshan, said Sukumari had expressed her wish to cremate her body in Kerala.