Vijayakanth, Tamil Cinema Icon, Dies Aged 71
Actor Vijayakanth, who is known as an icon of Tamil cinema, passed away on Thursday.
Tamil superstar and Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) founder Vijayakanth, fondly referred as 'Captain', passed away at a private hospital in Chennai on Thursday after a prolonged illness. He was aged 71. As per Indian Express, MIOT Hospital in Chennai released a statement confirming that Vijayakanth was placed on ventilator support due to the severity of his condition.
The statement also mentioned that the actor was admitted for pneumonia. The statement also stated that despite the dedicated efforts of the medical team, Vijayakanth succumbed to illness and passed away on the morning of December 28, 2023.
The DMDK founder was previously admitted to the same hospital on November 18 for a febrile illness, from which he was discharged on December 11.
On December 14, the actor-turned-politician then made his first public appearance post-discharge to participate in DMDK’s executive and general council meeting.
For the unversed, the actor first entered in film industry through ‘Iniikum Ilamai’ in 1979.
Some of his popular movies include 'Senthoora Poove', 'Pulan Visaranai', 'Chatriyan', 'Captain Prabhakaran', 'Chinna Gounder', 'Sethupathi IPS', 'Honest Raj', 'Vanathai Pola', and 'Ramana', among others.
Through the movie 'Captain Prabhakaran ' in 1991, the actor earned his affectionate moniker ‘Captain’.
His role in the 1992 film 'Chinna Gounder' as a village chieftain further established his status as a beloved actor among the rural masses.
Vijayakanth also headed the actors’ body called Nadigar Sangam.
