Actor Kanakalatha was once an integral part of Malayalam cinema and is mainly known for playing supporting roles. In her career spanning over four decades, she did over 360 films and acted with almost all the leading Mollywood superstars. The long list of superhit films in which she had essayed prominent characters include 'Chillu' (1982), 'Rajavinte Makan' (1986), 'Kireedam' (1989), 'Purappaadu' (1990), 'Kauravar' (1992), 'Uppukandam Brothers' (1993), 'Spadikam' (1995), 'Varnapakittu' (1997), 'Kannezhuthi Pottumthottu' (1999) and the like.
However, the 63-year-old actor is now in dire straits, reeling under Parkinson's Disease and dementia. She couldn’t even recollect her own name and forgets to eat meals and drink water and mostly survives on liquid food. Recently, her sister Vijayamma, who is now taking care of her, revealed about her heart-wrenching condition in an interview with a magazine. Kanakalatha started showing symptoms of the disease in 2021. It all started with sleep evading her. After consulting a doctor in August last year, she was diagnosed with the onset of dementia. An MRI scan also revealed that her brain was shrinking. She was in the ICU from October 22 to November 5.
Vijayamma, who has been with Kanakalatha for 34 years, says her sister needs diapers and has become unrecognisably thin. They now live in the house that Kanakalatha had bought a few years ago. Kanakalatha, who got divorced after 16 years of marriage, has no children. Vijayamma joined Kanakalatha as a companion as she started going for programs and shoots. Their brother's son is now there to help them out.
Kanakalatha, who debuted in 1980 with the movie ‘Unarthupaattu’ was last seen in the film ‘Pookkalam.’ She later skipped films and serials due to her poor health. She only has the insurance support of AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artists). She is also getting Rs 5,000 per month as ‘kaineettam’ (gift). She had received financial assistance from ATMA (Association of Television Media Artists) and the Chalachitra Academy.
Kanakalatha has acted in more than 360 films in Malayalam and Tamil over the past 38 years. The actress who made her mark on the small screen as well was not in the film industry for a long time. However, she made a comeback to Malayalam cinema with the hit film 'Pookkalam' directed by Ganesh Raj, who had directed the superhit film 'Anandam'.
Kanakalatha, who turned active in the field of art at a young age, turned to acting in amateur dramas. Later, when she became a part of professional dramas, she decided that acting is her bread and butter. Her first film was 'Unarthupaattu'. But it wasn't released. Later, the actor made her appearance in the movie 'Chillu'. Kanakalatha, who acted in more than 360 films, both big and small, entered wedlock at the age of 22 after a romantic affair. She got divorced after 16 years of marriage and has no children.
'Panchavarnathatha' in 2018 and 'Akashaganga 2' in 2019 are the mainstream films in which Kanakalatha acted in the last five years. Though opportunities were coming her way, she had taken a break from films due to her ill health.
"I got married at the time of the release of 'Chillu'. But the marriage didn't last long. We broke up. It was a time when I felt isolated. That's when my eldest brother died. Then, I adopted my brother's three children as my own children and started raising them. Through them, I got a family again. I brought them up with the income I earned from acting. It was a bit of a struggle. I married off two daughters well. The son and his family are with me,” Kanakalatha had said in an interview with Manorama Online two years ago.
“Having spent most of my life in rented houses, I dreamt of having my own home. Thus, I bought 3.5 cents of land in Malayinkeezhu nine years ago. I started building the house with hard-earned savings. In the end, another Rs 3 lakhs were required to complete the work. It was Kalabhavan Mani and Indrans who understood my situation and helped me. I will never forget that in my life. The Covid period has been the biggest blow to artists like us. I had to sit at home without work for eight months," she added then.
