Malayalam and Tamil film actress Chitra passed away this morning (21st August) due to a heart attack at her residence in Madras. She was 56. She is survived by her husband and a daughter. The news of her demise came as a shock to her fans as well as to the Malayalam and Tamil film industries.
Chitra, popularly known as Nallennai Chithra, started her acting career as a child artiste with K. Balachander’s Tamil film, Apoorva Raagangal, in 1975. She went on to work with many of the big names of the Malayalam and Tamil film industries. As an adult, her first film was Aattakalasam (Malayalam; 1983) with Mohanlal and Prem Nazir. Among the films she had worked in are Panchagni (Malayalam), Aval Appadithan (Tamil), Auto Raja (Tamil), Krodham (Tamil), Chinna Poove Mella Pesu (Tamil), Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (Malayalam), Amaram (Malayalam), Nayam Vyakthamakkunnu (Malayalam) and Ekalavyan (Malayalam). She took a break from films after marriage. Chitra returned to the industry with such Malayalam films as Mazhavillu and Soothradharan.