Malayalam actor, comedian, and television presenter Subi Suresh passed away on Wednesday, February 22. She was 42 years old. Subi was being treated for a liver ailment in a private hospital in Aluva. Subi was admitted to the Rajagiri Hospital in Aluva on January 28 with acute liver failure, the hospital’s PRO told TNM. A close friend said that she was diagnosed with jaundice, for which treatment had been difficult because of her weak lungs.
Subi made her debut in show business through a comedy programme called Cinemala aired in Asianet many years ago. She was a rare and prominent female presence in the typically male-dominated fields of mimicry and television comedy. She also acted in films including Kanakasimhasanam, Karyasthan, Happy Husbands, Elsamma Enna Aankutty, Pachakuthira and others.
Subi was known for hosting shows such as 'Made for Each other' on Mazhavil Manorama and 'Kutty Pattalam' on Surya TV. Although 'Kutty Pattalam' was criticised for the way children were portrayed on television, making them spill family secrets for “fun”, Subi was appreciated for her patience with the kids.
“She was not well for the last 15 days. We had tried to get a donor but it did not happen. She was that lone woman warrior in the comedy field. She struggled for 20 years to take care of her family,” comedian and actor Ramesh Pisharody told Asianet News.
Actor and mimicry artist Tini Tom said that by the time he came to know about her illness, it was in the last stage. “Several people helped and a surgery was fixed, but by then her blood pressure had shot up,” he told Asianet News. Subi was also a dancer, he recalled.
G Prasad, stage artist and comedian, reminisced the time he spent with her while speaking to Manorama News. “Since 2000, we have done many comedy shows together. They had even found a donor for her, but she got an infection in between. Her close friends knew about her disease. She was a dear friend to me. She was excellent in stand up comedy," he said.
She was active on Facebook and had been adding posts till the last day. On her passing, an admin posted: “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end. See you all again... Thanks.”
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has condoled her death. “Subi entered the art scene through the Cochin Kala Bhavan and won a place in the hearts of the Malayalees through reality shows and comedy programs. A promising artist has been lost through the demise of Subi,” the CM said.