Not one to be bogged down by the rumours that she died of cancer on Tuesday, Karagattakaran heroine Kanaka said that she is waiting for the “perfect role” to make her return, and that she is very much alive! After tabloid websites reported that the actor was ailing from an advanced stage of cancer and had gone to a palliative care centre in Alapppey district in Kerala to spend her last days, Kanaka revealed that she was in Chennai and had not heard of any cancer diagnosis.
“I have never had any cancer scare! These are just rumours. In fact, the last time I went to Alleppey was in 1992 when I was shooting a Malayalam film. I made a good friend there and I have been hoping to meet her ever since. Maybe I will now,” she said with a short laugh.
News began spreading on news portals and social media that Kanaka had succumbed to her cancer, around 11 am.
Following this there was a huge outpouring of condolences from many actors and directors on Twitter. When Kanaka appeared in public and made it clear that she was alive, most of them retracted their tweets, deleted them and went silent thereafter.
Amala Paul and singer Chinmayi had been amongst those who had been shocked by Kanaka’s passing, and were very verbal about it, on Twitter.
“I don’t know who is spreading these rumours, but I must say it has helped people remember me again. I have been keeping a low profile for a long time now,” she said. There were even murmurs that Kanaka might have orchestrated the whole thing as a publicity stunt, but she was quick to dismiss them, “No one would fake their death, not even film stars,” she retorted.
Kanaka shot to fame in 1989 when her debut film with Ramarajan, Karagattakaran, went on to become a smash hit and ran for over 200 days in both urban and rural centres.
Given how her mother Devika was also an actor of sorts, her backing, homely looks and chirpy acting ensured she reigned for a few years in both Tamil and Malayalam film industries. Her film Adhisaya Piravi with Rajinikanth, where the Superstar essays the role of a man whose life is taken by mistake and is allowed to be reborn as another man with the same body, was a smash hit and the high point of her short career.
She had also done memorable roles with yesteryear stars Karthik, Prabhu, Pandiarajan and Malayalam superstars Mammooty and Mohanlal.
“When I was 25, I used to think that character roles were too old for me and didn’t want to do them. But now that I think about it, I think the time is right for me and if the right role comes along I will definitely take it,” she told Express from her residence in Chennai.