Kerala state government has decided to bear the costs of veteran actor KPAC Lalitha’s medical treatment, Times of India reported. The decision was taken by the state cabinet during a meeting held on Wednesday.
Lalitha is the chairperson of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, a cultural institution functioning under the Culture Ministry of the Kerala Government. The Akademi was established in April 1958.
Speaking to Silverscreen India, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi’s Vice Chairman Xavier Pullat said, “Lalitha’s health condition has improved and she is doing better now. She has been shifted to the normal ward. She is supposed to undergo a liver transplant. However, a decision regarding that will be taken by the doctors after monitoring her health condition.”
Xavier also added that Lalitha had a good association with the academy and was active in her duties there before she fell ill.
The 74 year-old-actor has been hospitalised for a few weeks now with liver-related ailments. Initially, she underwent treatment in Thrissur and was later shifted to Kochi Aster Medcity Hospital.
Idavela Babu, Secretary of Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), had earlier mentioned that the veteran actor is “highly diabetic” and has other health ailments as well.
Later, as fans of the actor were worried, Lalitha’s son Sidharth Bharathan, who is also a filmmaker, put out an update on her health, saying, “Amma is fine and recuperating well… No need to panic.”
Lalitha has acted in more than 500 films in a career spanning over five decades. She is the recipient of two National Awards in the supporting actress category for her performances in the films Amaram (1990) and Shantham (2000). She has also received four Kerala State Film Awards and was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2009 Filmfare Awards South.
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She is known as KPAC Lalitha as she began her career on the stage performing with the Kerala People’s Arts Club. She has also worked as a dubbing artist and lent her voice for actors Sharada and Nanditha Bose.
Apart from Malayalam films, Lalitha has acted in some television serials as well as Tamil films such as Kaatru Veliyidai (2017), Kireedam (2007), and Ullam Ketkume (2005).
She was last seen in the critically-acclaimed Malayalam comedy-drama #Home (2021), which is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.