Nedumudi Venu

Nedumudi Venu, man, what a legend. Born May 22, 1948, right in the heart of Alleppey, back when it was still Travancore—yeah, that’s pre-independent India for you. The guy had this effortless charm that just oozed through the screen. If you’ve ever caught a Malayalam movie from the late 70s through the 2000s, chances are you’ve seen him play at least three completely different types of people, all believable, all unforgettable. He wasn’t just an actor, either—he wrote stuff too, which, honestly, isn’t fair, because how many talents does one guy even need? People still rave about his role in “Charlie” (2015), but honestly, his earlier stuff like “Oru Minnaminunginte Nurungu Vettam” (1987) and “Bharatham” (1991) are straight-up classics. Those performances? Pure gold. He would just slip into these roles like he was born for them, making you forget where the character ended and Nedumudi Venu began. It’s wild. He was married to T. R. Susheela, and from everything you hear, it sounded like solid partnership—one of those rare, real-deal love stories in the film world. He passed away on October 11, 2021, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, and honestly, the whole industry felt that loss. Feels like there’s a Nedumudi-shaped hole in Indian cinema that’s never really going to be filled. Seriously, if you call yourself a movie buff and haven’t checked out his work, you’re missing out on something special.