Vijayakanth death: Perarasu co-star Debina Bonnerjee mourns the loss of her 'first ever Tamil hero'

Tamil actor and politician Vijayakanth died on Thursday at a private hospital in Chennai. He was on ventilator support following his admission for pneumonia. His Perarasu co-star and TV actress Debina Bonnerjee remembered the late actor.

Debina Bonnerjee remembers Vijayakanth

Debina Bonnerjee took to her Instagram handle and wrote a long post remembering the late actor. She recalled working with him in her first Tamil film, Perarasu, which was released in 2006. Debina referred to him as her “first ever Tamil hero”. Her caption read, "My first ever Tamil hero.. What an experience to work with Sir in my first Tamil film Perarasu. Already a superstar “Captain” is what we all called him as..”

Debina shared that she learned “punctuality” and “humanity” from him. “He’s the one who kind of taught me punctuality and humanity… Always felt proud to do this film with Superstar #Vijaykanth..Sad on hearing his sudden demise.. May your soul rest in peace you were and will always be remembered for all the beautiful time and wise words truly a great leader #OmShanti…My condolences to all his close ones, fans and family,” she added.

What do we know about Vijayakanth?

Vijayakanth founded DMDK in 2005, challenging the supremacy of former CMs J. Jayalalithaa and M. Karunanidhi. He was a successful actor, producer, and director, serving as LoP twice, representing the constituencies of Virudhachalam and Rishivandiyam. He is survived by his wife, Premalatha, and two sons.

Vijayakanth, a successful action hero, earned the title "Puratchi Kalaignar," meaning revolutionary artist. He made his debut with 'Inikkum Ilamai' in 1979, as a villain and went on to become an action icon in the 1980s and 1990s.

His superhit movie 'Sattam Oru Iruttarai' was remade in Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada languages. In 1984, he had 18 releases, becoming the only Tamil cinema actor to release maximum films in a year in the lead role. He appeared in 154 movies and was one of the most adored film personalities in the Tamil film industry.

Vijayakanth had declared that he would not accept donations for his political party. PM Modi had given a special reference to him in the NDA leaders' meeting and referred to him as his friend. He was also criticised for making objectionable gestures in public, often towards journalists.

(Inputs from IANS, ANI)