Sri Lanka saddened over the death of Indian actor Vijayakanth
Sri Lanka is saddened over the death of Indian actor turned politician Vijayakanth who had spoken on the Sri Lanka Tamil issue.
Minister Jeevan Thondaman said that Sri Lanka had hoped Vijayakanth would recover from his illness and resume public service.
He noted that Vijayakanth had raised his voice on the Sri Lanka issue and was also close to his late father Arumugam Thondaman.
Vijayakanth passed away this morning at a private hospital in Chennai, where he was undergoing treatment for pneumonia since November 20.
Vijayakanth, 71, also tested positive for Covid-19 and was placed on ventilatory support prior to his death.
Fondly called “Captain” by his fans, Vijayakanth acted in 154 films since his debut in Inikkum Ilamai in 1979 and was regarded as a contemporary to veteran Tamil actors Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan.
Vijayakanth made his foray into politics after founding the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) in 2005 and was elected as a Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly member twice.
He served as the state’s opposition leader from 2011 to 2016 and established himself as a third force in Tamil Nadu politics against stalwarts like J.Jayalalitha and M.Karunanidhi. (Colombo Gazette)
