Thrissur | Thousands thronged 'Parpidom' at Irinjalakuda on Monday to pay their last respects to the beloved actor comedian and former Lok Sabha member Innocent.
The actor died on Sunday at the age of 75.
After keeping the moral remains of the actor at the Town Hall at Irinjalakuda for the public to pay homage, it was brought to his residence 'Parpidam' this evening.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, State Ministers, leaders of various political parties, senior actors including Mammootty and Mohanlal paid their respects at various places to the actor.
Vijayan came along with his wife Kamala to bid adieu to the former Left-backed Lok Sabha member at the Irinjalakuda Town hall, where the body of the actor was kept for paying homage after being brought from Kochi.
Actors Mammootty, Dulquer Salmaan, Mukesh, Sidhique, other senior actors paid their respects at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Kochi.
Actors Dileep, Nadir Shah, Sidhique and others took part in the procession from Kochi to his native village Irinjalikuda.
Actor Mohanlal, who was in Rajasthan for a movie shooting, reached the house of Innocent late this evening and spent time with the bereaved family.
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor mourned the loss of "character actor, comedian" and former MP Innocent.
"Aside from being a brilliantly inventive & gifted actor, he was a fine human being whom it was a pleasure to interact with in the Lok Sabha. RIP. Om Shanti," Tharoor tweeted.
Senior celebrities put out emotional posts on social media condoling the demise of Innocent, the former president of Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) for 18 years from 2000.
The funeral services will be held on Tuesday at the St Thomas Cathedral Cemetery at Irinjalakuda.
"Thanks, Innocent chetta (brother)! For the laughs given... not only on screen but also in life...#RIP #actorinnocent," noted actor Manju Warrier posted in Malayalam on her Instagram.
Innocent began his acting career in 1972 and his latest movie was Prithviraj starrer 'Kaduva'. The last film he acted was 'Pachuvum Atbuthavilakkum' directed by Anoop Sathyan, son of ace director Satyan Anthikad.
Besides his acting career, he was active in politics also. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the actor was elected from Chalakudy constituency in Thrissur district as a Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate but lost in the 2019 elections to Benny Behanan of the United Democratic Front (UDF).
Innocent, who was under treatment at a private hospital at Kochi since March 3, breathed his last at 10.30 pm on Sunday.
He was diagnosed with cancer twice and yet always maintained a positive attitude towards life, a fact remembered by many in their condolence messages on social media.
The actor was admitted to the critical care unit of the hospital and was on ECMO support.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a form of cardiopulmonary support where the patient's blood is pumped and oxygenated outside the body using a machine.
