Murali died on 6th August 2009 at Thiruvananthapuram at the age of 55, due to acute diabetes which lead to a cardiac arrest at 8.20 PM IST. Murali was a National Award winning Indian film actor who mainly acted in Malayalam and Tamil language films. He was known for his powerful portrayal of character roles as well as lead roles.

Early life

Murali was born on 25 May 1954 as the first child of P. Krishna Pillai and K. Devaki Amma in Kudavattoor, Kollam, Kerala, India. He completed his schooling from Kudavattoor L. P. School and Thrikannamangalam S.K.V. High School. He completed his pre-degree from Sasthamkotta Devaswom Board College. He was an active member of the Students Federation of India. He later completed his degree in law from the Thiruvananthapuram Law Academy. After studies, he worked for some years as Lower Division Clerk in the Department of Health, Govt. of Kerala and as Upper Division Clerk in the Kerala University.

Acting career

Murali debuted into films with the lead role in Njattadi, directed by Bharath Gopi. But the film never released. He then got chance to act in Chidambaram, directed by national award winning filmmaker Aravindan. He then acted in Meenamasathile Sooryan and Panchagni, directed by noted film makers Lenin Rajendran and Hariharan, respectively.

Panchagni got released first and it gave his the break in his acting career. He then quickly got established as a powerful actor in the Malayalam film industry. Adharam, directed by George Kittu was the first film to get released with Murali in lead role. He acted in a variety of roles ranging from lead roles to villain roles, and won accolades. Some of his other notable films include Nee Ethra Dhanya, Dhanam, The King," Pathram", Veeralippattu, Achan Kombathu Amma Varambathu, Meenamasathile Sooryan, Swarnam, and The Truth.

Murali acted in the longest TV commercial ever on Indian TV,spanning 150 seconds.This was for Air Deccan in 2005.