Kumbalangi Nights actor Ambika Rao passes away at 58, Mohanlal, Mammootty pay tribute
Ambika Rao began her career as an assistant director to Balachandra Menon for his film Krishna Gopalkrishna.
New Delhi: Kumbalangi Nights actor Ambika Rao passed away at the age of 58. The Malayalam actor-filmmaker died due to COVID-19 complications during the treatment of kidney-related ailments. She was undergoing the treatment when she caught COVID-19 and she died in a private hospital in Kochi on the night of June 27. Ambika was undergoing the treatment for a long time.
Ambika Rao began her career as an assistant director to Balachandra Menon for his film Krishna Gopalkrishna. She has assisted several popular directors, namely Balachandra Menon, Anwar Rasheed, Shafi, and Vinayan. The actor rose to fame with her acting performances in Kumbalangi Nights and Virus. She also directed a short film in 2016, it was titled Smarana.
Ambika played the role of Baby’s mother and Shammy’s (Fahadh Faasil) mother-in-law. She also did a fine performance in the 2019 film ‘Virus’. The film was based on true incidents of the deadly Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala, and the courageous fight put on by some individuals which helped to contain the epidemic.
She has been suffering from severe kidney failure since 2017 and according to a report by nettv4u.com, she has been undergoing dialysis for a year. The reason for her demise is known to be a cardiac arrest.
Members of the Malayalam film industry expressed their condolences. Actor-filmmaker Prithviraj Sukumaran tweeted, “Rest in peace Ambika Chechi.”
Rest in peace Ambika Chechi. ?? pic.twitter.com/WNVZ6oeyxb
— Prithviraj Sukumaran (@PrithviOfficial) June 27, 2022
Malayalam superstars Mohanlal and Mammootty also condoled her demise on their social media pages.
Ambika is survived by her two children Rahul and Sohan.