From ignominy, Salim Kumar took firm strides to national acclaim

Salim Kumar — the actor who later ventured into writing and directing — has had a roller-coaster career. Few actors would have endured the ignominy of being unceremoniously dropped from a film for their supposed lack of acting prowess early in their career, only to later win both the National Film Award and the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor in the same year, a little over a decade later.

The humiliation came in 1997, a year after his debut, when he was cast in a film by a prominent director. After a day’s shooting, Salim Kumar was sent back on a train by a production executive without even being told he had been replaced. He would later recall how he was mocked by many when he returned empty-handed after leaving for the shoot with much fanfare.

Redemption arrived 14 years later when he bagged twin honours for Salim Ahmed’s critically acclaimed Adaminte Makan Abu in 2010. He had already demonstrated his range beyond humour and slapstick five years earlier, winning the Kerala State Award for Best Second Actor for his moving portrayal of Samuel, the father of a rape victim, in Lal Jose’s Achanurangatha Veedu, inspired by the Sooryanelli rape case.

Purple patch

Since his debut in a small role in Ishtamaanu Nooru Vattam (1996), Salim Kumar has acted in over 250 films. Rafi–Mecartin’s blockbuster Thenkasipattanam (2000) turned out to be his breakthrough and he hit a purple patch in the ensuing decade. Shafi’s Kalyanaraman (2002) was followed by the golden year of the career in 2003 when a string of hits including CID Moosa, Thilakkam, Pulivaal Kalyanam, and Kilichundan Mambazham hit the box-office.

Though 2004 was lean with only three releases, he struck gold with Chathikkatha Chanthu, where his antics as Dance Master Vikram had theatres erupting in laughter. Rajakannu in Thommanum Makkalum (2005) and the iconic Kannan Sranku in Shafi’s Mayavi (2007) sealed his status as the reigning comedy star. Other than the legendary Jagathy Sreekumar, few tickled the Malayali audience’s funny bone as much as Salim Kumar did during his golden phase. In this he was ably supported by writer-directors such as Rafi-Mecartin and Shafi, who by their own admission, often simply wrote Salim Kumar in the script for his scenes with almost a blind faith in his humour instincts. He also shared an effortless on-screen rapport with actors Harisree Ashokan, the late Cochin Haneefa and Dileep, all equally adept in handling humour, as evidenced in numerous films.

Beyond humour

To his credit, even amid this laugh riot he began delivering roles beyond humour. His character Aamu Elappa in Kamal’s Pezhumazhakkalam (2004) was more mean than comic, and it was followed by Achanurangatha Veedu. In 2017, Salim Kumar turned to writing and directing with Karutha Joothan, which won the State Award for Best Story. He donned the director’s hat again a year later for the Jayaram-starrer Daivame Kaithozham K. Kumarakanam, which unfortunately flopped at the box office.

Thereafter, his prolific career hit roadblocks as his health deteriorated. From the heights of 17 films in 2009, 13 in 2012, and 17 in 2019, the numbers nosedived. In the seven years since 2020, he has acted in just 22 films, with only one release each in 2025 and 2026. His memoir, Eeswara Vazhakkillallo, published in 2023, only reaffirmed his mastery over humour.