Vijayakanth passes away

Actor-director and former leader of the opposition in the Tamil Nadu assembly, Vijayakanth, passed away on Thursday at a private hospital in Chennai. He was 71.

Founder of Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), Vijayakanth was known by fans as the "Captain." He was admitted for the treatment of pneumonia and was on ventilator support. He tested positive for Covid-19.

"Captain Vijayakanth was on ventilator support following his admission for pneumonia. Despite the best efforts of the medical staff, he passed away in the morning on Dec 28," the hospital stated.

He is survived by his wife, Premalatha, and two sons. Vijayakanth, who was an action hero, earned the title "Puratchi Kalaignar," meaning revolutionary artist. He made his debut with 'Inikkum Ilamai' in 1979, as a villain and went on to become an action icon in the 1980s and 1990s.

Born Vijayaraj in Madurai, the actor became popular initially as Vijayakanth, a screen name given by M.A. Kaja, the director of his first film.

His superhit movie 'Sattam Oru Iruttarai' was remade in Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada. In 1984, he had 18 releases, becoming the only Tamil cinema actor to release maximum films in a year in the lead role. He appeared in 154 movies and was one of the most adored film personalities in the Tamil film industry.

His film ‘Captain Prabhakaran’ is considered as a cult classic in Tamil Cinema.