India actress Sukumari dies after cardiac arrest

Veteran actress S. Sukumari passed away on Tuesday March 26 at 5.30pm following a cardiac arrest at a private hospital in Chennai, where had been undergoing treatment for burn injuries for 25 days.

Born in 1940 in Trivandrum, Sukumari first danced on stage as a seven year old and has performed with the Travancore trio, Lalita, Padmini and Ragini, touring parts of India, Asia and the USA.

Her love affair with the camera began at ten, when she entered films with Malayalam film, ‘Oru Iravu.’ And, this passion continued over the next five decades, as she played several characters, acting in more than 2000 films that cut across different languages to include Bengali and Oriya. The unique distinction Sukumari holds on this journey was the opportunity to act with not only several heroes of yesteryears but later with their sons too. She has worked with Kottarakkara and his son Sai Kumar, the late Sivaji Ganesan and son Prabhu, Nageswara Rao and son Nagarjuna and Prem Nazir and son Shah Nawaz, to mention a few.

From receiving the Padma Shri national award to state awards from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Sukumari chechi as she was fondly known in the industry, did her family proud.

Coming to mind at this moment is an interview done sometime in the nineties at her Chennai residence, when this reporter was touched by Sukumari’s unassuming self and the warmth she exuded as she insisted that I cannot leave her home without taking a glass of butter milk.

Rest in peace, Sukumari chechi.