Kannur: Noted film actor Unnikrishnan Namboothiri, known for his comedy and grandfather roles, died on Wednesday, his family sources said. Namboothiri was 98.

The actor had survived COVID-19 and was discharged from a hospital on Tuesday. A family friend of the actor said Namboothiri felt some uneasiness and was admitted to a private hospital on Wednesday but he passed away in the evening.

He is survived by his children Devi, Bhavadas, Yamuna and P V Kunhikrishnan. P V Kunhikrishnan is a Kerala High Court judge. Namboothiri is also the father-in-law of popular musician Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition in the stateAssembly, Ramesh Chennithala condoled the demise of the actor.

"Namboothiri was an amazing actor who excelled in playing character roles.It's a huge loss to the cultural world," Vijayan said in his condolence message. Chennithala said Namboothiri was known as the grandfather of south Indian cinema.

"....with his demise, Malayalam movie industry has lost an excellent actor," Chennithala said.

His debut movie was 'Kaliyattam' in 1996.

Later he acted in numerous movies including 'Kaikudanna Nilavu', 'Madhuranombarakattu', 'Meghmalhar', 'Kalyanaraman,' 'Rappakal' and 'Pokkiri Raja'. His role as a romantic grandfather in 'Kalyanaraman' was a huge hit.

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New Delhi (PTI): Air India Group is looking to add capacity to help passengers impacted by the IndiGo flight disruptions.

"Since 4 December, economy class airfares on non-stop domestic flights have been proactively capped to prevent the usual demand-and-supply mechanism being applied by revenue management systems," a statement said on Saturday.

Both Air India and Air India Express have put in place caps on economy class fares.

ALSO READ: IndiGo cancels over 200 flights from Delhi, Mumbai on Saturday

The statement from Air India came hours after the government announced introduction of airfare caps amid IndiGo flight disruptions.

Air India also said it is not technically possible to cap fares for all flight permutations.

"Air India and Air India Express are seeking to add capacity to help travellers and their baggage reach their destinations as quickly as possible," the statement said.