Malayalam actor Unnikrishnan Namboothiri dies at 98
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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
