Mollywood superstar Mohanlal is extremely saddened and shocked over the sudden demise of veteran actor Nedumudi Venu. The ‘Drishyam’ actor shared screen space with Nedumudi in a huge number of movies including the super hits ‘Thalavattam’, ‘His Highness Abdullah’, ‘Thenmavin Kombath’, ‘Bharatham’ and ‘Thanmathra’. Mourning the demise of the versatile actor, Mohanlal penned an emotional note on his Facebook page.

“Beloved Venuchettan who was the soul of Mollywood for over 50 years passed away. His demise is the biggest loss to the Malayalam film industry and heart-breaking grief in my life. Venu chettan was like my elder brother who always supported me,” wrote Mohanlal.

He also expressed happiness to act alongside Nedumudi Venu in super hit movies.

“As down in the dumps, I’m unable to pay an official homage to Venu chettan. He turned into an irreplaceable personality with his deep reading and immense knowledge. The warmth of his love will remain in my heart forever,” penned Mohanlal.

Nedumudi Venu, who was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram passed away on Monday at the age of 73.

The actor, who in a career spanning four decades had acted in more than 500 films, including a few Tamil films, was in the hospital for some health-related issue. He was suffering from liver-related ailments.