National award-winning Malayalam actor Nedumudi Venu passes away at 73

Veteran Malayalam actor Kesavan Venugopal Nair, better known by his stage name Nedumudi Venu, has passed away. He was 73.
Venu began his career in theatre and moved on to acting in films, as well as directing and screenwriting. He made his acting debut in 1978 with the drama film ‘Thampu,’ directed by G Aravindan.
During his nearly five decades career span he had acted in more than 500 films, which were primarily in Malayalam while few included Tamil films.
Nedumudi Venu has won three National Film Awards and six Kerala State Film Awards among other notable awards for his various performances.