Tamil actor Ponnambalam said that a family member tried to jeopardise his life by poisoning him. The actor alleges that his brother mixed poison in his food and alcohol which resulted in damaging his kidneys. Ponnambalam recently underwent a kidney transplant. In an interview with Tamil media, the actor says that many people are under the false notion that excess alcohol consumption resulted in his kidney failure. He says this was all done by a family member. Two years ago, he was admitted to the hospital due to kidney failure. Ponnambalam came back to life when his relative and director Jagannathan donated his kidney.
Earlier, Ponnambalam had requested his colleagues and others to help him gather money for his surgery. He is recovering after surgery. The actor thanked those who helped and supported him during this crisis. Then actors Kamal Haasan, Chiranjeevi, Sarathkumar, Dhanush, Arjun, Vijay Sethupathi, Prakash Raj, Prabhu Deva, and director K S Ravikumar had come forward offering help. After recovering his health, the actor opened up about some of his bitter experiences in life.
“My kidney failure was not due to drinking or using other drugs. Sadly, many people are under that impression. My father has four wives. We are eleven children. The son of the third wife worked as my manager for some time. He once mixed slow poison in my beer. It fatally affected my kidneys. I didn't know that he did this to me. Then the same poison was mixed in rasam. After expert treatment doctors found toxins in my body. But I didn't know how this happened.”
One night when I was unable to sleep, I decided to step outside for a smoke. That’s when I saw my assistant and brother standing at a distance. They had dug a pit and were burying my lungi, a doll, and some sacred threads. I stood and watched them for some time. The very next day I locked my assistant in a room and threatened him to reveal what they were doing that day. That’s when he revealed some shocking truths. My brother who was jealous of my prosperity decided to do this harm to me. He didn’t like the fact that I had started earning from a young age. I have no ill feelings against my brother. After some time perhaps he will realize that what he did was wrong. I have really worked hard to come this far and have acted in over 1500 films. And all that money was spent on my family.
I can never forget Chiranjeevi sir’s help. He spent nearly Rs 45 lakhs on me. Ramcharan’s wife had personally spoken to me. Similarly Dhanush while speaking to him about my illness transferred money into my account. I can never forget all that. Sharath Kumar sir also helped a lot. But I didn’t get a call from Ajith, Vikram, or Vijay. I was there with them during the initial phases of their career. Not that I am complaining. I used to think that if I am in trouble these people will be there for me. I used to consider Ajith as my own bother. Therefore I thought at least he would call and ask about my well-being. Not offering money is fine,” says Ponnambalam.
Ponnambalam debuted in cinema as a stuntman. In 1988 he debuted as an actor in the movie, ‘Kaliyugam.’ Though he has acted in several films, his villain role in ‘Nattamai’ was a career breakthrough for him. Later he played antagonist roles in the films of Rajnikant, Ajith, and Vijay. In Malayalam, he has acted in 'Moonam Mura' and 'Thandavam'. His role as a hotel owner in 'Aadu 2' was also noticed. His last film was Jayam Ravi’s ‘Komali.’ He was a participant in Big Boss Season 2.
