Chennai, India (CU)_ The actor was popularly known as Chinnakalaivanar and was 59 years old. Vivek was one of the most favorite and leading comedians of Tamil cinema and an ardent follower of ex-President APJ Abdul Kalam. Apart from his acting career, he was also a social worker and an environment activist. Following President Abdul Kalam’s guidelines, he had planted around 33 lakhs saplings and had aimed to plant 1 crore saplings through his Green Globe mission. He was also appointed as the state ambassador of Plastic Pollution Free Tamil Nadu Campaign. He was also an honorable receiver of Padmashri Award in 2009 and Honorary Doctorate in 2015. The actor used to be too involved in greenery missions in order to increase the state’s green cover. He lived with his wife and two daughters.
The popular comedian actor of Tamil cinema and a social worker Vivek passed away on Saturday morning after he was admitted to a Chennai hospital on Friday following a cardiac arrest. The actor fainted on Friday morning and was taken to the SIMS Hospital in Vadapalani, where he was treated. According to a hospital bulletin, the actor was resuscitated and then underwent Emergency Coronary Angiogram, followed by angioplasty. He was admitted in the ICU and was on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygen, or ECMO.
Following Vivek’s demise, a bereft southern film industry vented their grief on social media. Rajinikanth, the superstar of Tamil cinema, who worked with Vivek in the 2007 blockbuster Sivaji and Uzhaippali, paid tribute to the actor with the following lines. He said, “The passing away of Chinnakalaivanar, social worker and my dear close friend Vivek is very painful. Every day I spent with him during the filming of Sivaji are unforgettable days in my life. My condolences to the bereaved family. Let his soul rest in peace.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Vivek in social media. He wrote, “The untimely demise of noted actor Vivek has left many saddened. His comic timing and intelligent dialogues entertained people. Both in his films and his life, his concern for the environment and society shone through. Condolences to his family, friends and admirers. Om Shanti”.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami condoled for Vivek’s death. He said his contribution to cinema and society was huge and his missing is a major loss to Tamil film industry. He wrote, “Nobody can take his position. His acting and social work can live on and hold a special place in the hearts of Tamils”.
The opposition leader and DMK Chief Stalin wrote that Vivek’s death was a great shock to him. He wrote, “A multi-talented person, Vivek created awareness among the people through his comedy and acting. He had a special affection towards Kalaignar. He was also very active in social initiatives like tree-planting. Why did nature snatch a person like Vivek, who still had the potential to do more, so early?”.
Kamal Haasan, the actor-turned-politician, who worked with Vivek in the upcoming film Indian 2, took to Twitter and paid tribute. He wrote, “An actor’s duty does not end with acting, friend Vivek believed he needed to do something beyond for society and he did. Vivek was a believer in APJ Abdul Kalam’s high ideals and a green warrior, his death is a huge loss.”
AR Rahman, the Oscar-winning music composer who has collaborated on many films with Vivek, said, “Actor Vivek, can’t believe you’ve left us…May you rest in peace…you’ve entertained us for decades ..your legacy will stay with us .”
The popular south star Prakash Raj condoled Vivek’s death and wrote, “Ahhh.. #vivek …gone too soon dear friend ..thank you for planting thoughts and trees …thank you for entertaining and empowering us with your wit and humor. Will miss you…RIP.” the two actors were great friends and worked together in films such as Manithan, Anniyan and Oopiri.
Dhanush, who collaborated with Vivek in the films such as Velaiyilla Pattathari, Velaiilla Pattadhari 2, Uthama Puthiran, and Padikkathavan, took to Twitter and shared a broken heart and wrote, “Vivek sir”.
Other film personalities and state leaders also mourned for the actor. The film actors such as Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Prithviraj Sukumaran, R Madhavan, Music composer Devi Sri Prasad, actor Gautham Karthik, Tamil actress Aathmika, Actress and activist Kasturi Shankar, Tamil film producer SR Prabhu, Filmmaker Meher Ramesh and etc., also paid tribute to the actor’s death.
Vivek was given the COVID-19 vaccine the day before he suffered cardiac arrest and was admitted to the hospital, but a senior hospital doctor said he had an acute coronary syndrome with cardiogenic shock and that his health condition had no connection with the vaccine. Vivek was known for his characters in movies such as Sivaji, Run, Saamy, and Perazhagan. Amid the pandemic, the actor was given a state funeral and the government honored him with 78 bullets before cremation.
