Malayalam cinema is mourning the loss of one of its most versatile actors. Salim Kumar, a National and State Award winner, died on June 6, 2026, at a private hospital in Kochi. He was 56. He had been taken to Amrita Hospital that morning with serious complications and was placed on ventilator support, but his condition worsened after a heart attack brought on by severe pneumonia.
A long battle with illness
His death followed years of well-documented health problems. He had chronic liver ailments and had undergone a liver transplant. In candid interviews he spoke openly about his liver cirrhosis, taking care to explain that it was hereditary in his family rather than the result of alcohol. He also used his platform to warn others about fake alternative remedies, sharing how falling for such treatments during vulnerable periods had harmed his health. His resilience through long illness earned him wide respect.
From mimicry stages to a National Award
Salim Kumar sharpened his craft on the mimicry and drama stages of Cochin Kalabhavan before his feature debut in 1997. He soon became a mainstay of Malayalam comedy, with memorable roles in hits like Pulival Kalyanam, Meesa Madhavan, C.I.D. Moosa and Kalyanaraman.
His career took a defining turn when he moved from comedy into serious drama. In 2010, his performance as a poor, devout old man longing to make the Hajj pilgrimage in Salim Ahamed’s Adaminte Makan Abu won him the National Film Award for Best Actor — shared that year with Dhanush — along with the Kerala State Award, cementing his standing as one of the country’s finest character actors. He appeared in more than 300 films, most recently in 2025 projects such as Bha Bha Ba and Azadi.
Away from cinema, Salim Kumar was active in public life as a long-time supporter of the Indian National Congress and the United Democratic Front, campaigning across the state for years. Despite his frail health, his last major public appearance was in his home constituency of North Paravur, to celebrate his friend and associate V.D. Satheesan becoming Chief Minister of Kerala. The characters he brought to life will continue to be remembered for years to come.
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