Funeral of yesteryear actress Kanchana today

Turavur, Alappuzha: The funeral of yesteryear Malayalam film-drama actress P K Kanchana would be held in Pattanakkad on Friday.

The 89-year-old breathed her last at a private hospital in Cherthala on Thursday.

She had been undergoing treatment for age-related illness.

Kanchana had won the Kerala state award for supporting actress for her performance in ‘Olappeeppi’ in 2016.

Born to Raman-Kochuparu couple at Pattanakkad in Kerala’s Alappuzha district in 1930, Kanchana began to act in stage plays when she was 15.

She entered the cine\world through 'Prasanna' directed by SM Sriramulu Naidu in 1950. She donned a prominent role along with Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair, Pappukutty Bhagavathar and Ragini in the movie.

She had acted in several plays of Kalanilayam Nadakavedi such as ‘Vasavadatta’, ‘Ummini Thanka’ and ‘Pazhassi Raja’. She had performed on more than 1,000 stages for 50 different drama troupes. Kanchana had to even go in hiding for acting in Communist plays.

For Udaya and Merryland studios, she acted in ‘Umma’, ‘Innapravukal’, ‘Kumarasambhavam’, and ‘Punnapra ‘movies.

She left the cine world post her wedding and made a comeback in 2016 for ‘Olappeeppi’ directed by Krish Kymal. The comeback won her the coveted state award glory.

Late Kundara Bhasi, a drama-movie actor, was her husband.

Her children are Premlal, and (late) Pradeep. Sheena and Rajimol are daughters-in-law.