Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condoled the death of veteran Malayalam actor Innocent, who died here on Sunday night.
PM and CM condole
“Pained by the passing away of noted actor and former MP Shri Innocent Vareed Thekkethala. He will be remembered for enthralling audiences and filling people’s lives with humour. Condolences to his family and admirers. May his soul rest in peace,” he said in a Twitter message.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a Facebook post that Kerala will remember Innocent, who won the Lok Sabha election in 2014 as a candidate supported by the Left Democratic Front, for always raising the demands of the State in the Parliament. He set a model for many by fighting cancer through courage and confidence while going ahead with his personal and public life, he said. Opposition Leader V. D. Satheesan said that the actor faced cancer with courage and determination. He inspired others to face the disease with a smile, he said.
Fellow actors
In his condolence message posted on Facebook, actor Mohanlal said that Innocent had always remained a brother to several people as he showered them with his care and affection. Like his name, he offered an innocent smile to the entire world, he said.
Malayalam actor Prithviraj termed Innocent as a ‘legend’ and termed his death as ‘end of an iconic chapter in cinema history’. Actor Dulquer Salmaan said that “we lost the brightest shining star in our constellation. You made us laugh till we cried. You made us cry till our insides hurt. You were an actor of the highest calibre,” he said.
Senior actor Salimkumar said that he cannot still believe that Innocent is no more. “I would rather think that he has gone somewhere for a film shooting, where I will also join one day. But my chance is yet to come,” he said. Actor Vineeth Sreenivasan said that Innocent was an integral part of his father and actor Sreenivasan’s close circle. He made all of us laugh through his numerous stories and jokes,” he said.
