National award-winning Malayalam actor Salim Kumar hospitalised, on ventilator support

National Award-winning actor Salim Kumar has been hospitalised and remains on ventilator support.

He was rushed to Amrita Hospital in Kochi after complaining of discomfort on Saturday morning. Hospital authorities declined to reveal details of his condition beyond confirming that he is on ventilator support.

Mr. Kumar, who won both the National and State awards for Best Actor for his moving portrayal in Salim Ahmed’s critically acclaimed Adaminte Makan Abu in 2010, has a medical history marked by recurring bouts of illness.

A known Congress supporter, he campaigned extensively for the United Democratic Front (UDF) in the last Assembly election. His campaign for Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, who won from the actor’s home constituency of North Paravur, triggered controversy and a public feud with the CPI(M) and its supporters.

Mr. Kumar’s speech mocking development — or rather, the lack of it — during the tenure of former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan did not sit well with CPI(M) supporters, who launched a stinging social media campaign against him. The National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD) also lodged an official complaint with the Election Commission, alleging that his remarks degraded mental health conditions and stigmatized patients suffering from them.

Undeterred, Mr. Kumar continued to campaign for the UDF across the State despite his visibly frail health. His last public appearance was in North Paravur at the reception accorded to Mr. Satheesan following his elevation as Chief Minister. Tweaking Mr. Satheesan’s pre-election challenge to go into political exile if he failed to bring the UDF back to power, Mr. Kumar quipped that a man willing to go into exile had instead been coronated.

Incidentally, Mr. Kumar has been a staunch supporter of Mr. Satheesan, campaigning for him unfailingly since his first successful electoral contest from North Paravur in 2001.