The body of veteran Malayalam actor Innocent, who died on Sunday, March 26, will be kept at the Kadavanthra Rajiv Gandhi Indoor stadium in Ernakulam from 8 am to 11 am on Monday, March 27, for the public to pay respects. The body will then be shifted to his hometown Irinjalakuda in Thrissur district and kept at the Town Hall till 3 pm. After that, the body will be taken to his house and the funeral will be held in the Cathedral Church of Irinjalakuda, by 5 pm on Monday. Innocent died on Sunday due to COVID-19-related complications.
A cancer survivor, he suffered multiple organ failure and was on medical support during the last few days. “His condition had worsened. There was a medical board meeting to review his condition, and all efforts were taken to revive him. He left us by 10.30 pm,” Industries Minister P Rajeev told the media. Innocent was admitted at the Lakeshore Hospital in Kochi.
Innocent’s funeral and public display of the body are all arranged by the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (A.M.M.A.) and the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA), a union of Malayalam film directors and technicians. He served as the President of the A.M.M.A. for many years.
Innocent acted in more than 700 films, and produced and wrote a few films in the 1980s. He entered politics in the last decade, winning as a Member of Parliament in 2014 from Chalakkudy.
On and off for 15 years, between 2003 and 2018, Innocent had held the post of president of the A.M.M.A. He spoke of his health issues and his responsibilities as a Member of Parliament as reasons to quit.