'All you do is make me cry': Mammootty mourns Salim Kumar

Dubai: Malayalam cinema is in mourning.

National Award-winning actor Salim Kumar passed away on Saturday night at the age of 56, after being admitted to a private hospital earlier in the day following sudden health complications. He had been placed on ventilator support before breathing his last at 10.43pm.

Family sources confirmed he had been undergoing treatment for pneumonia, and had previously undergone a liver transplant a few years ago. He is survived by his wife Sunitha and their two children.

The outpouring of grief from the Malayalam film industry was immediate, with one of the most moving tributes coming from Mammootty, who took to X to say goodbye to a man he called his brother.

"Salim, who laughed and made others laugh, thought and made others think, and occasionally cried and made others cry, now, all you do is make me cry," Mammootty wrote. "Your departure, dear brother, has become an unending sorrow."

Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan also mourned the loss, sharing a tribute that spoke to both the actor's professional greatness and his personal character. "He wasn't just the prince of laughter to me. Salim Kumar was a deeply connected soul, fearless in his political beliefs and proud to say he stood with Congress. A versatile genius who could make us laugh and cry with the same face. Malayalam cinema lost a legend, and I lost a brother."

Several prominent figures from the industry, including actor Dileep, MLA and actor Ramesh Pisharody and Nadirshah, visited the hospital following the news.

A career that spanned laughter and depth

In a career lasting over three decades, Salim Kumar appeared in more than 300 films, establishing himself as one of the most beloved and versatile actors in Malayalam cinema. He began his career as a host on the comedy show Comicola before making his film debut in 1997 with Ishtamanu Nooru Vattam. His major breakthrough came with Thenkasipattanam in 2000, one of the highest-grossing releases of that year, alongside Dileep. The two went on to collaborate on numerous films including Meesa Madhavan and Ee Parakkum Thalika, cementing Salim's reputation as one of the finest comic actors in the industry.

What made his career extraordinary was the range he demonstrated beyond comedy. In 2010, he won the National Film Award for Best Actor for his deeply moving performance in Adaminte Makan Abu, a role that silenced anyone who had ever tried to box him in. He also won the Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actor for Achanurangatha Veedu and the Kerala State Television Award for Best Actor in 2013. His directorial venture Karutha Joothan won the 2017 Kerala State Film Award for Best Story.

He was 56. Malayalam cinema will not easily fill the space he leaves behind.