Who was Ambika Rao? ‘Kumbalangi Nights’ actor dies of cardiac arrest

By Team Newsable  |  First Published Jun 28, 2022, 9:45 AM IST

Ambika Rao reportedly died of cardiac arrest while she was undergoing treatment for Covid-19 at a hospital in Ernakulam.


A popular actor in the Malayalam film industry, Ambika Rao, breathed her last on Monday night. A native of Kerala’s Thrissur, actor and filmmaker Ambika Rao passed away due to a heart attack, leaving the entire film industry in a state of shock with her sudden passing away.

Ambika Rao, known best for her role in ‘Kumbalangi Nights’, had been undergoing treatment for a long time for a kidney ailment. She was reportedly admitted to a private hospital in Ernakulam after she was tested positive for Covid-19. 

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Ambika Rao was one of the most popular actors in the Malayalam film industry who rose to fame through her role as a mother in ‘Kumbalangi Nights’. Since then, she had successfully managed to gather the attention of the audience. Apart from being an ace actor, Ambika Rao also had a long experience in Malayalam cinema as a filmmaker. She worked on numerous films as a co-director.

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The information about the passing away of Ambika Rao was shared by film producer NM Badusha. Taking to social media, Badusha informed about the death through a Facebook post. In his post, he wrote that the associate director and film star Ambika Rao had passed away, adding that he worked with Ambika in several films. While concluding his post, Badusha paid tributes to the late actor.

Other than ‘Kumbalangi Nights’, Ambika Rao had also acted in Lal Jose’s ‘Meesha Madhavan’, ‘Anuraga Karikin Vellam’ and ‘Virus’, among many other films. She also co-directed several Malayalam films including ‘Thomman and Sons’, ‘Salt and Pepper’, ‘Rajamanikyam’ and ‘Vellinakshathram’, among others.

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Meanwhile, in December 2020, Ambika Rao sought financial help for her kidney treatment as she had to undergo dialysis at least twice a week. The actor had been suffering from severe kidney failure since 2017, and reportedly began with her dialysis in 2018.

Previously, it was Ambika Rao’s percussionist brother Aji who was taking care of her treatment. However, in 2020, he suffered a major stroke, and she had to take care of him too. That is when Ambika reached out for financial help from others.

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