Oduvil Unnikrishnan (13 February 1943 – 27 May 2006). Starting his career as a theatre artist in the late 1960s, he went on to grace Malayalam films for nearly three decades, acting in more than 100 films. Oduvil won the hearts of cine-goers through his subtle style of acting and his impressive dialogue delivery. A highly respected figure, he was known for his simplicity. He was awarded the Kerala state award for his brilliant portrayal of the character 'Kaliappan' in director Adoor Gopalakrishnan's award-winning film 'Nizhalkuthu'' in 2002. His last film 'Rasathanthram', starring superstar Mohanlal and directed by his close friend Satyan Anthikad, was a super hit. He was 62 when he died. It was due to severe kidney related problems. His demise is certainly an irreparable loss to the entire film industry.