When Kollam Sudhi broke down in tears talking about going for stage shows with his baby boy: ‘I would put him to sleep before stepping onto the stage’

However, Kollam Sudhi’s life took a dramatic turn after his separation from his long-term partner and first wife, with whom he had been in a relationship for a considerable period of time. Despite his aspirations to grow as an artiste yielding positive outcomes, this personal setback marked a significant change in Sudhi’s life. In a video that has now gone viral on social media, Sudhi can be seen in a vulnerable state as he opens up about his struggles in dealing with the aftermath of his first wife leaving him and their one-and-a-half-year-old son.

During one of the episodes of Malayalam channel Flowers TV’s Star Magic, mimicry artiste Azeez Nedumangad recounted the early days when he and Sudhi faced financial constraints and had to resort to travelling on parcel lorries to reach different locations for their stage performances as they couldn’t afford bus tickets at that time. “We travelled like that while holding Sudhi’s baby boy,” Azeez recalled.

Reflecting on that period, an emotional Sudhi shared, “I have been to many stages holding my son. Backstage, I would put him to sleep before stepping onto the stage. Even during my performances, I would feel anxious, dreading the possibility of my son waking up due to the surrounding noise. I am deeply grateful to all my colleagues and friends who took care of him while I was performing on stage on multiple occasions. Azeez, in particular, took care of him many times while I was performing.”

“At first, I felt frustrated because Sudhi wouldn’t let me join him on stage for skits while he performed. He was hesitant about doing combination scenes with me. Curious about this, I finally approached Sudhi one day. To my surprise, Sudhi responded, ‘You are one of the few people I can trust completely to take care of my son.’ Those moments will forever remain etched in my memory,” Azeez added with a lump in his throat.

It wasn’t until many years later that Kollam Sudhi embarked on his second marriage, finding love and companionship with Renu. Alongside Sudhi’s son from his previous marriage, Rahul, he and Renu also welcomed another child into their lives named Rithul.

After Sudhi’s passing, numerous individuals from his field, as well as various figures from Kerala’s political and cultural spheres, expressed their sorrow over the incident. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was one of the first persons to offer condolences on Sudhi’s demise.

“Oh my God, I can’t believe this… We were together at the venue yesterday. We left in two different cars. Before parting, Sudhi expressed his wish to click a photo together. We did and he sent me this…🙏 Condolences,” cine artiste Tiny Tom wrote on Facebook.

“I was jolted awake from sleep by this dreadful news. I am struggling to find the right words to express my overwhelming emotions. We had recently wrapped up shooting together on the first of this month. The thought of his children brings a surge of uncontrollable emotions to me. It saddens me deeply that he passed away before accomplishing his dream of owning a house,” Sudhi’s colleague and friend Ullas Pandalam told Malayalam TV channel 24 News.

“He had called me last evening and we spoke for some time. I still can’t believe this has happened. We did many shows together. He was a very innocent person who constantly made everyone around him laugh. He was a very loving husband. It was his wife’s face that came to my mind first after hearing the news. Their relationship was so heart-warming. I don’t know what to say,” actor Swasika told 24 News.

“The news of actor and comedian Kollam Sudhi’s death in a car accident in Thrissur is extremely painful. He was noticed through stage and television programmes and in the last few years he made us laugh through movies. Condolences to his relatives and colleagues. May his family have the strength to bear the unexpected loss,” State Culture and Youth Affairs Minister Saji Cherian noted on Facebook.

Film stars Aju Varghese and Kalabhavan Shajon also expressed condolences to the bereaved family of the artiste.

Sudhi appeared in films like Kattappanayile Rithwik Roshan, Kuttanadan Marpappa, Theetta Rappai and Kesu Ee Veedinte Nadhan.