Famous Malayalam actor Kottayam Pradeep passed away at the age of 61. He died of a heart attack at 4.15 am on Thursday. He was rushed to hospital with a friend when he noticed chest pain, but could not save his life. He is survived by his wife Maya Pradeep and children Vishnu Siva Pradeep, Vrinda Pradeep.
Pradeep, who started his career as a junior artist, was made his acting debut in the movie ‘EE Nadu Innale Vare’ in 2001 directed by Ivy Sasi. Vinnaithandi Varuvaya, Thattathin Marayathu, Aadu, Vadakkan Selfie, Kattappanayile Hrithik Roshan, Thoppil Joppan, and Kunjiramayanam were the important films.
He was born and raised in Thiruvathukkal, Kottayam district. While still in school, Pradeep was active in youth festivals and school annual events. He mainly participated in song, dance, and solo plays. He lived near the Radhakrishna Theater in Thiruvathukkal, Kottayam for many years and was gradually attracted to the cinema. Kottayam Pradeep started acting as a child actor in NN Pillai’s play ‘Eswaran Arrestil ‘ at the age of 10 and has been active in the theater industry for 40 years. He completed his education at Karappuzha Government School, Baselius College, and Cooperative College. Has been a LIC Officer since 1989.
Kottayam Pradeep got his first opportunity in television in a senior role instead of his son when he came to the set with his son after seeing the need for child actors in the teledrama ‘Avasthantharangal’. Producer Prem Prakash gave him that opportunity. The first film to hit the camera was I.V. Sasi’s film ‘E Nadu Innale Vare’. He played a small role with Narendra Prasad. She then acted in small roles in several films. In 2009, he played a small role as Trisha’s Malayalee uncle in Gautham Menon’s ‘Vinnaithandi Varuvaya’. Without any hope, Pradeep, who had gone to audition through Nandu Poduval with the desire to meet Gautam Menon, was unexpectedly selected for the role. As the dialogue got attention, opportunities came looking for Kottayam Pradeep. Pradeep also acted in the Hindi and Telugu versions of the film. After playing the role of a police constable in Vineeth Sreenivasan’s ‘Thattathin Marayath’, Pradeep became a part of most Malayalam movies. She has acted in several Tamil films including ‘Raja Rani’ and ‘Nanpanada’