Actor Nallenai Chitra dies of heart attack

Famous south Indian actor Nallenai Chitra, known for her work in Malayalam and Tamil film industries, passed away due to cardiac arrest at the age of 56, according to multiple media reports citing sources from her family.

Chitra, who had more than 100 films under her name, died at her Chennai residence on Saturday. 

The actor, who is survived by her husband Vijayaraghavan and daughter Mahalakshmi, was surrounded by her family at her Saligramam residence in Chennai during her last moments.

Chitra was introduced as a child artiste by director K Balachander in his 1975 film Apoorva Raagangal, which starred Kamal Haasan, Srividya, and was Rajinikanth’s debut film. The film which is among Balachander’s biggest hits went on to win the National Award for the best feature film in Tamil.

Chitra, a popular actor in the 80s and 90s, debuted as an adult in the Malayalam film Aattakalasam with Mohanlal and Prem Nazir in 1983. She has also been a part of popular films like Panchgani, Aval Appadithan, Auto Raja and Ekalavyan, among others.

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Having predominantly worked in Malayalam cinema, Chitra also made her mark in Tamil with films such as En Thangachi Padichava, Ethir Kaatru, Pondati Rajyam, Putham Pudhu Payanam and Cheran Pandiyan.

However, she took a break from films at the peak of her career due to personal problems in the late 90s after she got married.

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The prominent south Indian star marked her returned to the industry with films such as Mazhavillu and Soothradharan.

The news of her sudden demise has come as a shock to the film industry with condolences pouring in from her fans and well-wishers. 

While fans paid tributes to her memory, the actor’s friends and colleagues remembered their fondest memories of Chitra on social media. 

Chitra got her nickname ‘Nallenai’ after a very successful television commercial for an oil brand that she appeared in. In the 2000s, Chitra returned to the industry with films such as Mazhavillu (1999) and Soothradharan (2001).