Actor Kumarakom Vasudevan, who shot to fame after his pivotal role in the 2015 Malayalam film Ottaal, passed away on Thursday, April 14. Vasudevan, or Vasavan as he was called, was 76 years old. According to media reports, he was undergoing treatment at Kottayam Medical College Hospital due to high blood pressure. As per a Times of India report, he is survived by his wife Rajamma and his children Shaji Lal and Sheeba.
Director Jayaraj, who made his directorial debut with the 2015 film Ottaal, cast Vasudevan as Vallyappachayi, the grandfather of a young boy named Kuttappayi. Vasudevan, who was a fisherman by profession, was cast for the role after filmmaker Jayaraj watched him catching fish at Vembanad lake in Kumarakom. Jayaraj shared an image with Kumarakom Vasudevan and condoled his death on April 14.
The story of Ottaal was written by Joshy Mangalath based on the Russian playwright and author Anton Chekhov’s popular short story Vanka. The film also won awards under the Best Children’s Film category at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2016, and swept many awards at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). The film had cinematography by MJ Radhakrishnan, and editing by Ajithkumar.
Ottaal revolves around the relationship between the young Kuttappayi, played by Ashanth K Shah, and Vallyappachayi. The film also bagged the National Award under the category of ‘Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation’. The rest of Ottaal’s cast includes Shine Tom CHacko, Thomas J Kannampuzha, Sabitha Jayaraj, Master Hafis Muhammed, and Vavachan.