THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Malayalam actor Nedumudi Venu, who breathed his last at a private hospital here on Monday, was cremated with full state honours at Santhikavadom crematorium here on Tuesday afternoon. Though Covid restrictions were in place, hundreds of people paid their last respects to the acting legend when his mortal remains were placed for public homage at Ayyankali Hall in the morning. The hall was chocked with emotions as several film personalities who reached there tried hard to come to terms with the reality. The flow of friends and fans didn’t break since Monday afternoon when his body was taken to his house ‘Thambu’ near Kundamankadavu. As if sharing the grief, the sky remained cloudy throughout the day with occasional drizzle.
Actors Mammootty and Mohanlal who had shared a deep bond with Nedumudi Venu reached his residence late on Monday night and paid their respects. Mammootty, who had shared a friendship of 40 years with him, said they had acted together just two weeks ago. They had been shooting for the upcoming movie Puzhu in the last days of September. “Memories of Nedumudi Venu will shine like stars,” said Mammootty. An emotional Lal said the relationship between Venu and him was much more than professional.
Expressing his condolences, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Nedumudi Venu was a versatile actor, who could fill life into diverse roles across many genres. “He was also a prolific writer and passionate about theatre. His passing away is a loss to the world of films and culture. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti,” tweeted Modi.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Speaker M B Rajesh, ministers Saji Cherian, Veena George, V Sivankutty and Mohamed Riyaz, MP Shashi Tharoor and Congress state president K Sudhakaran were among the dignitaries who paid last respects to him on Tuesday. Close friends of Nedumudi Venu -- Manianpillai Raju, Madhupal and producer Suresh Kumar had accompanied the mortal remains from his house to Ayyankali hall where filmmakers Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Shaji N Karun and actor Sreenivasan paid their tribute. “Intelligent people are a rarity in the film world; Nedumudi Venu was one. I had performed with him in several stage shows. I had been witness to Nedumudi Venu mesmerising audience with his songs. He was a versatile genius,” said Sreenivasan in a social media post.
Actor Vineeth who paid his last respects couldn’t hide his tears; actor Alencier stood silent for minutes after paying tribute. The body was taken to Santhi Kavadam by 1.45pm. The men in uniform offered gun salute as per protocol. Soon, final rites began. Unni Venu, the elder son of Nedumudi Venu, led the last rites, assisted by Kannan Venu, his younger son.