Veteran Malayalam actor Innocent critical as health condition worsens

The health condition of veteran Malayalam actor and former MP Innocent, who was admitted to a private hospital in Kochi for cancer-related complications, remains to be critical.According to a medical bulletin issued by the hospital on Saturday evening, the 75-year-old actor is presently on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) support.

ECMO is a form of cardiopulmonary support where the patient's blood is pumped and oxygenated outside the body using a machine. Innocent, known for his versatility both in comic and character roles, has acted in more than 500 films in a career spanning over five decades. He was the president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) for 18 years.He represented Chalakudy constituency in Lok Sabha from 2014 to 2019. Innocent was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2012, but in 2015 he announced that he was finally free of the disease. Three weeks ago, he was admitted to hospital with breathing problem. Widely considered as one of the greatest actors in Malayalam cinema, the veteran actor has acted in more than 700 films.