Thiruvananthapuram: Film comedian and Kathaprasangam artist V.D. Rajappan, 70, died at a private hospital in Kottayam on Thursday. Rajappan, who was ailing for the past few years, was admitted to hospital on March 8. He is survived by wife Sulochana and sons Rajesh and Rajeev.
His last rites would be conducted on his home premises at Perur near Kottayam on Friday. Rajappan revived the dying art form of Kathaprasangam by introducing parodies of film songs into story-telling. Soon he entered Malayalam films and established himself as a comedian in more than 100 films from 1982 to 2005.
Some of his noted films are Kakka, Kuyilinethedi, Engane Nee Marakkum, Attakalasam, Man of the Match, Panchavadi Palam, Meleparambil Aanveedu, Kallanmarum, Mutharam- kunnu P.O, and Kusruthikkaattu.
His noted Kathapra- sangams included Priye Ninte Kura, Kumari Eruma, Mak Mak, Chikayunna Sundari and Ennennum Kurangettan. Rajappan, who started his Katahaprasangam career at the age of 22, narrated the stories with animals like dogs, ox, buffalo, frog, hen and snake and vehicles as the main characters.
He parroted the voices of rats in ‘Pothiley Puthiri’ and dogs in ‘Priyey Ninte Kura.’ He presented these stories in over 1000 stages spread across Kerala and Gulf countries.
He withdrew from the film scene as his health deteriorated. His lifestyle with lots of friends, liquor and songs left him impoverished and he was living mainly on the pension of his wife, a government nurse, and the Rs 5,000 pension of ‘AMMA in his final years. Recently, director Aashiq in a Facebook post had appealed to the people to come to the aid of the ailing Rajappan.
