Vinu Chakravarthy. EPS
Veteran actor Vinu Chakravarthy, known for his vivacious roles in South Indian cinema, passed away on Thursday. The 71-year-old actor was terminally ill.
Since January 2017, he had been admitted to the hospital on and off and was being treated for high blood pressure and diabetes.
Vinu Chakravarthy is counted in the list of those few stars who have completed their millennial mark in the
entertainment industry. The Tamil thriller/comic movie Muni (2007) marked his 1000th movie.
Apart from acting, he tried his hand at script writing and direction too. Vinu was a versatile artist and had acted in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Badaga and Malayalam movies during his career in the industry. He landed in his very first role in the industry through producer Tiruppur Mani for a Kannada flick, Parasangada Gendetimma (1977) and went on to make a mark in the Malayalam film industry with his iconic role of Veeramuthu Goundar in 1993 blockbuster Meleparambil Aanveedu.
He became an indispensable part of Kollywood after he became a lucky charm for none other than Super Star Rajnikanth.
Together they have done nearly 25 movies, many of which went on to become blockbusters such as Arunachalam, Manithan, Veera, and Annamalai, to name a few. Vinu was a multifaceted actor and in sync with artists of all ages and trends, from yesteryear star Sivaji Ganesan to youngsters like Dulquer Salman.
The very popular and erotic actress ‘Silk Smitha’ was introduced to the industry by none other than Vinu Chakravarthy.
He spotted her in a flour mill near AVM studios and the rest is history. He mentored her and gave the name which made her iconic – Silk Smitha. In an interview to a local Tamil website, Chakravarthy said the moment he saw that young girl standing in the mill, he knew she would go places and that she had potential and talent in her.
Before entering the world of glitz and glamour, he had served in the police services as a Reserve Police Inspector in Chennai’s Ice House station and later in the Indian Railways for nearly four years. His trademark moustache and his gait served as reminders of his past career.
Vinu acted in his last movie Vaayai Moodi Pesavum in the year 2014. His health had begun deteriorating and he had to be hospitalised several times in the past three years.
Source: The New Indian Express