Malayalam actor-director Prathap Pothen dies of cardiac arrest, shocked Malayalam TV celebs pay condolences

Malayalam actor-director Prathap Pothen was found dead in his apartment in Chennai today (July 15). The 70-year-old actor, who made his acting debut with the film ‘Aaravam’ which was directed by the late veteran director Bharathan, died of a cardiac arrest.His wife Amala Pothen said her husband "passed away in his sleep" following a cardiac arrest. The award-winning actor had left movie buffs amazed with his characters in movies like Thakara’, ‘Chamaram’, ‘Meendum Oru Kaathal Kathai’, ‘Rithubhedam’, ‘22 Female Kottayam’ and more.Soon after the news came out, it left fans and celebs shocked and condolences have been pouring for the late actor. Malayalam TV celebs also paid tribute to Prathap Pothen on their social media handles.Sharing a throwback picture with the late actor-director, actor Rajesh Hebbar remembered sharing the screen with him."Remember sharing screen space with this legend with great fondness. As we always say, actors live forever on the silver screen...Adieu Pratap Pothen Sir," he wrote."En iniya pon nilave.. Pon nilavil en kanavee. RIP legend," Pournamithinkal fame Gowri Krishnan wrote.Seetha actress Swasika Vijay also penned a note paying tribute to the actor. "Rest in Peace Sir. Your contribution to the cinema still stays !," she wrote.Remembering Prathap Pothen's all-time favorite character Thakara, actor Kishor Satya also shared an adieu note online.Pothen is survived by his wife and daughter. The senior actor-director was known for his unique dialogue delivery and has acted in a number of Tamil and Malayalam movies with top ranked stars including Kamal Haasan in "Varumaiyin Niram Sivappu", directed by the legendary K Balachander.Pothen also directed the hit film "Vetri Vizha" starring Haasan, among his other directorial ventures. His films in Tamil include 'Meendum Oru Kathal Kathai', 'Moodupani' and 'Panneer Pushpangal' and he did a myriad of roles including those with negative shades during his career.(With PTI inputs)