KOCHI: Actor K P Sivasankara Kurup, 94, who rose to fame with his titular role in the satirical television sketch series ‘Munshi’, passed away in Kollam on Sunday. Popularly known as K P S Kurup, the senior theatre artist was part of various drama troupes including the iconic Kerala People’s Art Club (KPAC), which is often considered synonymous with the legacy of Malayalam theatre.
Kurup, whose major theatre breakthrough came in the KPAC play ‘Irumbu Mara’, was a permanent presence in the plays aired by the All India Radio. He has also handled notable roles in movies such as Kodiyettam, Swayamvaram and Sreerama Pattabhishekam.
However, his most notable character was that of Munshi, in the daily three-minute satirical sketch telecast by Asianet, which he started portraying at the age of 73. After 12 years, the channel replaced him with another actor.
The Late Leela Kumari is his wife. He is survived by children Gopikrishnan, Sreekala and Visakh. The cremation was held around 3pm at his house in Kollam.