Kerala bids tearful adieu to Innocent, the king of humour

The body of actor Innocent, who entertained Kerala with his brilliant sense of humour, was laid to rest at the cemetery of St. Thomas Cathedral in Irinjalakuda

The body of actor Innocent, who entertained Kerala with his brilliant sense of humour, was laid to rest at the cemetery of St. Thomas Cathedral in Irinjalakuda, Thrissur, on Tuesday morning. He was buried with state honours, leaving thousands of his fans in tears.

A huge crowd, including Ministers, elected representatives, film personalities and socio-cultural leaders, witnessed the funeral functions and the following rituals. Higher Education Minister R. Bindu was there throughout, coordinating the events.

Innocent, 75, died in a private hospital in Ernakulam, on Sunday night. The actor, a cancer survivor, however died of post-COVID complications. According to Dr. V.P. Gangadharan, eminent oncologist, who treated him, said Innocent, who faced cancer with his humour and positive energy, was inspiration for cancer patients.

After being kept at Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Kadavanthra, and Town Hall, Irinjalakuda, for the public to pay homage, Innocent’s body was brought to his house Parppidam at Irinjalakuda, on Monday evening. His body was taken to St. Thomas Cathedral by 10.30 a.m. on Tuesday in a procession.

Hundreds of people were waiting at the church and cemetery to have a last look at their favourite actor. Innocent always kept a close relationship with Irinjalakuda. He was an active presence in his hometown. A meeting to condole his death was held at the town hall later.

Innocent, who started his film career in 1972, had acted in 700-odd films in a span of 50 years. He was President of film organisation AMMA from 2000 to 2018. He won the Lok Sabha election from Chalakudy in 2014.