Tearful adieu to KPAC Lalitha

Body was cremated at Orma, her house at Engakkad with State honours

Actor and Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Chairperson KPAC Lalitha, who died on Tuesday night at Thripunithura, was cremated with State honours on the premises of her house ‘Palisseriyil Orma’ at Engakkad, near Wadakkanchery, on Wednesday.

Her son Siddharth Bharathan lit the funeral pyre. It was her wish that she be cremated near the memorial to her late husband, legendary director Bharathan. She had been bedridden with liver ailments for some time.

Since Lalitha married Bharathan in 1978, she had been closely connected to Wadakkanchery. Lalitha, without any aura of a film personality, become one among the people in the remote village of Engakkad and attended even small functions. She was active in social, cultural, and political spheres.

‘Orma’ at Engakkad had witnessed many ups and downs of the Bharathan-Lalitha couple. Even though Bharathan was one of the most successful film directors in Malayalam, he died in 1998 with a huge burden of debt on the shoulders of Lalitha and two children. After selling their house in Chennai, Lalitha and children moved to Engakkad after Bharathan’s death.

However, the financial burden or other personal issues never affected her career. She had won two national awards and four State awards for best supporting actor. She had won Cherukad award for her autobiography Katha Thudarum. She is survived by son film director Siddharth and daughter Sreekutty.