Kozhikode (Keralam) | Veteran Malayalam theatre-film actor Savithri Sreedharan, who won acclaim for her role in popular film 'Sudani from Nigeria', died at her residence here on Wednesday, industry sources said.

She was 85.

Sreedharan had been suffering from age-related ailments for some time, they said.

She had a four-decade-long career in theatre, having entered the amateur theatre scene at the age of 16. After nearly two decades in amateur theatre, she moved to professional stage.

Eminent playwright K T Mohammed's play 'Deepasthambham Mahascharyam' marked a significant phase in her theatre career. She later acted with several prominent drama troupes.

Sreedharan was also a recipient of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award for her overall contribution to theatre.

She made her film debut in 1991 with Jnanpith laureate M T Vasudevan Nair's directorial venture 'Kadavu'.

After a long gap, she returned to the silver screen in 2018 with 'Sudani from Nigeria', earning widespread appreciation for her performance.

Her role in the film won her the Kerala State Film Award for Best Character Actress in 2019 and a Special Mention at the National Film Awards