Thrissur: Renowned Ottan Thullal artiste Kalamandalam Geethanadan, 58, is no more. He collapsed on the stage while performing at the Avittathoor Siva Temple near Irinjalakuda on Sunday evening. Even though he was rushed to the nearby hospital, his life could not be saved.
Geethanandan who has acted in several films like Kamaladalam and Thooval Kottaram was also a campaigner for the art form internationally.
He was instrumental in conducting the first concert using Ottan Thullal rhymes and was the first artiste to perform the art form in Paris.
He was the head of Thullal department at Kerala Kalamandalam. He has performed on nearly 5,000 stages across Indian and the globe and has trained nearly 1,000 students in Thullal.
Geethanadan is survived by his wife Shobana and children Sanalkumar and Sreelakshmi.
