Kamal Roy, brother of legendary actors Urvashi and Kalpana, passes away

Actor Kamal Roy, the brother of legendary thespians Urvashi and Kalpana, has passed away. Hailing from a family of artistes, Kamal was the son of popular drama actors Chavara VP Nair and Vijayalakshmi. He was one of the couple’s five children. Besides Urvashi and Kalpana, his other two siblings, Kalaranjini and Prince (late), were also actors. Their grandfather, Sooranad Kunjan Pillai, was an eminent lexicographer, historian, poet, and critic. Kamal was 54 and breathed his last in Chennai due to cardiac failure, The Hindu reported.

Although his career wasn’t as illustrious as that of his sisters, Kamal also tried his hand at acting and played notable roles in movies like Sayoojyam (1979), Kolilakkam (1981), Manju (1983), Kingini (1992), Kalyana Sougandhikam (1996), Vachalam (1997), Shobhanam (1997), and The King Maker Leader (2003). He had appeared in the popular song “Innumente Kannuneeril” from the Mohanlal-starrer Yuvajanotsavam (1986) as well.

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Kamal’s performance as the villain in Kalyana Sougandhikam, helmed by Vinayan, earned him much praise. Paying tribute to him, director Vinayan noted on social media that it was legendary actor Sukumari who first told him about Kamal back then, which led to his casting in Kalyana Sougandhikam.

Kamal’s death comes exactly a decade after the untimely demise of Kalpana. A recipient of the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress and one of the most celebrated character actors in South India, Kalpana passed away due to a heart attack in Hyderabad, Telangana, on January 25, 2016. She was 51.

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Decades before this, tragedy had struck the family once when Urvashi and Kalpana’s younger brother, Prince, died by suicide. He made his debut in director Thulasidas’ erotic drama Layanam (1989) opposite Silk Smitha, and the movie became a massive hit. There have been reports in the past suggesting that he was battling mental health issues.