Veteran theatre and film actor V. P. Khalid, 71, died at Vaikom in Kottayam on Friday.
A resident of Chullikkal in Fort Kochi, he was found unconscious at the washroom of a film shooting location at Vaikom in the morning. He was immediately taken to a private hospital, where he was declared brought dead. The body was taken to the Government Medical College in Kottayam for post-mortem, according to the hospital authorities.
He was acting in a movie directed by Jude Anthany Joseph and starring actor Tovino Thomas. Khalid is survived by his sons Shyju Khalid, Jimshi Khalid, and Khalid Rahman who are active in the Malayalam film industry.
Khalid ignited his passion for theatre at the age of 16 when he started acting in drama competitions. He was an active member of professional drama troupes including Cochin Sanathana, Alleppey Theatres and had acted in plays like Ezhunallathu and Dracaula Ancham Thirumurivu. He entered the big screen through Periyar directed by P. J. Antony in 1973 and later acted in movies like Eanipadikkal and Ponnapuram Kotta.
Khalid was also popular as a singer and dancer in his early career. He was popular among the television audience as ‘Sumeshettan’ in the popular Marimayam series being aired in Mazhavil Manorama.
