Veteran Malayalam actor Vijayan Peringode passed away early this morning after suffering a heart attack. He was 66. The actor, who has a film career that spans three decaades began his career as a production executive and he made his acting debut in 1983 with Asthram, directed by P N Menon and went on to act in more than 40 films in mostly supporting roles. 

He had been part of some popular films like Meeshamadhavan, Oppam, Sapthamashree Thaskaraha, and Rakshadhikari Baiju Oppu.The actor is survived by his wife Chanjalakshi and three children, Kannan, Anandapadmanabhan and Dr Gayathri.

Director-screenwriter Ranjan Pramod, who had worked with Vijayan on Meeshamadhavan, Naran and Rakshadhikari Baiju Oppu, said: "First and foremost, he was a nice human being. He was an erudite scholar. I used to call him whenever I needed to refer some old books. He had worked in Chennai as a production manager. He knew Rajnikanth and Mohan Babu. Initially he appeared in a lot of minor roles. However, it was through his role in Meesha Madhavan that he became more noticed. Later, he made a much bigger impact through his role in Naran."

Director Sathyan Anthikad, who had worked with Vijayan the most number of times, said: "Vijayan was one of our dearest friends who left us too early. His demise came as a big shock to me. He was friendly with everybody. He was part of all the productions handled by Century Films, one of which was my Nadodikattu. He managed to act in all the films produced by Century. Two of his most notable roles were in Manassinakkare and Achuvinte Amma. He was a good friend as well as a good artist."