India mourns passing away of popular Tamil actor Vivekh

NEW DELHI: Tamil cinema fans reacted with shock and disbelief on Saturday over the passing away of popular actor Vivekh at the age 59.

Vivekh died at a Chennai city hospital, where he was brought unconscious on Friday following a cardiac arrest.

He was treated for a heart vessel blockage and put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support, according to Indian media reports.

Vivekh went to a government hospital on Thursday to get a COVID-19 shot in order to promote a public vaccination drive to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The actor suffered from "an acute coronary syndrome with cardiogenic shock" and his case was not related to the vaccine, a doctor told local media.

Fans, politicians and the Tamil entertainment industry joined in mourning Vivekh's death.

"This loss feels like a nightmare," actress Priya Bhavani Shankar wrote in a social media message.

The actor was not only famous for his comedy roles but was also a television personality and social activists.

"His contributions to my films, Tamil film industry and to society is immeasurable, so is this loss," said producer and director Shankar Shanmugham.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party president M K Stalin, super star Rajinikanth, actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan were among those mourned Vivekh's passing away.

Vivek, whose real name is Vivekanandan, has appeared in over 200 films and was last seen in Dharala Prabhu, a Tamil remake of the Hindi film Vicky Donor. Vivek's first film was Manathil Urudhi Vendum, produced by the legendary filmmaker K Balachander in 1987. He had etched his name as one of the most sought-after comedy actors of Tamil cinema.

He was widely regarded for his performances in movies like Perazhagan, Run, Saamy, Sivaji and Anniyan.

Apart from being an actor, Vivek was also an activist and a playback singer. He also took up environmental issues and setup the Green Kalam Initiative in 2010, after being inspired by India's great scientist and former president A.P.J Abdul Kalam.

Vivek is survived by his wife and two daughters. His son Prassana Kumar died at the age of 13 in 2015 after a bout of fever.

-- BERNAMA