Veteran actor Vijayakanth, who was fondly called 'Captain', died on Thursday, leaving the film fraternity with an irreplaceable void. Many from the film and political fraternity condoled the death. The 71-year-old passed away after being diagnosed with pneumonia.
Many of his contemporaries, stricken with grief, shared their condolences via social media as well as on video and audio messages. Actor Sukanya, who has worked with the actor in two films - Chinna Gounder (1992) and Sakkarai Devan (1993) - expressed her deepest condolences to the family as well as his fans.
Speaking to CE, she says, "He has a crazy fan following. This must have been a huge shock for them. Nobody thought that he would pass away so soon. Despite his health issues, he would come and pay a visit to party events and his cadre. It's deeply saddening to hear the news of the death of a great human being."
Recalling her experience working with the actor, she explains, "I worked with him in two films, both of which were super hits. Even now, every time Chinna Gounder is telecast on TV, at least two or three people would message me. After playing roles in a slew of action films, this movie had a completely different character and a get-up. Many fans have recreated his look and style from the film."
She further says that he is known for his humanity and working for the people. "For Chinna Gounder's promotion, we would go to different districts where he would call all the technicians and arrange buses for them. All this is rare. He is more than just the hero that we saw on screen. He is a great administrator as well."
A towering presence in Tamil cinema as well as in politics, he is known for films such as Doorathu Idi Muzhakkam, Satham Oru Iruttuarai, Amman Kovil Kizhakale, Oomai Vizhigal, Captain Prabhakaran, Chinna Gounder, Ramanaa and Engal Anna. The actor was last seen making a cameo appearance in the 2015 film Sagaptham.