Pratap Pothen speaks of death, existence in final social media posts

South Indian actor and filmmaker Pratap Pothen passed away on Friday and the yesteryear actor's final posts on social media has left his fans in tears.

The actor, who was an active presence in Malayalam film industry in recent years after a brief hiatus, last posted a philosophical quote by American singer Jim Morrison.

“I think in art, but especially films, people are trying to confirm their own existence,” the actor said quoting Morrison.

In another post on Thursday, he explicitly spoke about death.

"Death is caused by swallowing small amounts of saliva over a long period of time- George Carlin," Pothen said in a post on Facebook.

On July 11, the actor posted a poem by John Donne on death.

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

The actor, who was an active presence in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films from the 1980s, also made his mark in the industry as a scriptwriter, director and producer.