Chennai: Malayalam actress Chithra, 56, known for her roles in hit films including Amaram, Devasuram, Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha, Panjagni, Adwaitham and Nadodi, died at a private hospital in Chennai on Saturday.

According to reports, she died due to cardiac arrest.

Chithra, who acted in over hundred South Indian movies, was once a busy star in Malayalam and Tamil film industries.

Chithra first appeared in Malayalam movies as a child actress. Her first hit was in 1983-movie Attakalasham, in which she acted with Prem Nazir and Mohanlal. However, her debut was in 1975-Tamil movie Apoorva Raagangal, starring Kamal Haasan.

She had also acted in numerous movies with 'Big Ms' of Mollywood -– Mohanlal and Mammootty and shared the screen space with superstar Rajinikanth in Tamil movies Aval Appadithan and Oorkavalan.

The Malayalam film audience cannot easily forget the charming Chithra, who wowed fans in the song 'Neelakuyile chollu, maarikiliye chollu...' from the 1991-movie Adwaitham. Chithra, who was then a busy actress in Malayalam, however, had to keep away from movies due to her father's illness.

Some of her hit films include Kalikkalam, Pathamudayam, Ekalvyan, Parampara, Ee Thanutha Veluppan Kalathu, Maalayogam, Ammayane Sathyam, Padheyam, Commissioner, Aaraam Thamburan, Ustaad, and Raja Paarvai (Tamil). Her last Malayalam movie was Soothradharan.

She also played a key role in the Sarath Kumar-Vijayakumar starrer hit Tamil movie Cheran Pandiyan, directed by K S Ravikumar.

She was fondly called as 'Nallennai Chithra' after she was featured in the advertisement of an oil company.

Chithra's husband Vijayaraghavan is a businessman. Their daughter is Mahalakshmi. The funeral will be held at Saligramam in Chennai on Saturday evening.