THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 30 January 2008 — Bharat Gopi, one of the most versatile actors the Malayalam cinema has ever produced, died yesterday after a cardiac arrest at the age of 71.
Recipient of several national and international honors, Gopi suffered a heart attack last week at a shooting location in Alappuzha and was brought to Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) here two days ago for special treatment.
He had undergone an angioplasty on Monday and doctors said he was recouping fast. But his condition suddenly took a turn for the worse and he died at 1.30 pm.
He made his debut in a minor role in Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s Swayamvaram in 1972 after an illustrious career in theater. He made it big with his lead role in the director’s next film Kodiyettam.
V. Gopinathan Nair aka Kodiyettam Gopi aka Bharat Gopi also won the national award for the best actor, the second actor to win the honor in Malayalam after PJ Antony, for his portrayal of a naive villager in Kodiyettam in 1977. He was also awarded Padmashree in 1991.
Gopi had been cast in memorable roles by filmmakers G Aravindan, Padmarajan, Bharathan and KG George, bringing out the various facets of his versatile talent.
