Well-known Kathakali exponent Nelliyodu Vasudevan Namboothiri died at his residence last night, family sources said.
He was 81 and was battling cancer for some time, they said.
Known for the portrayal of the negative тАШchuvanna thadiтАЩ (red beard) characters in the classical dance drama, he also excelled in enacting the roles of тАЬvattamudiтАЭ and тАЬpenkari.тАЭ
Besides the characters of negative shades like тАШKaliтАЩ, тАШDushasananтАЩ and тАШBakanтАЩ, he was famous for the pious roles like тАШKuchelanтАЩ too.
HonтАЩble Governor Shri Arif Mohammed Khan said: тАЬSad to hear about the passing of Kathakali maestro shri Nelliyodu Vasudevan Namboothiri,a noted exponent of the pure Kathakali tradition. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.May his soul attain MuktiтАЭ:PRO,KeralaRajBhavan pic.twitter.com/Q9VEWRG1St
тАФ Kerala Governor (@KeralaGovernor) August 3, 2021
A scholar in Sanskrit and Hindu Puranas, Namboothiri was a recipient of several honours including Kendra Sangeet Natak Akademi award, Kerala Santeetha Nataka Akademi award, Kerala State Kathakali Prize and so on.
He is survived by wife Sreedevi Antharjanam, a son and daughter.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan were among those who condoled Nelliyode Vasudevan NamboothiriтАЩs death.
тАЬSad to hear about the passing of Kathakali maestro shri Nelliyode Vasudevan Namboothiri,a noted exponent of the pure Kathakali tradition. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. May his soul attain Mukti,тАЭ Khan tweeted.
A unique Kathakali exponent, NamboothiriтАЩs contributions to the classical dance drama were тАШinvaluableтАЩ, Vijayan said in his message.
