Harish Pengan

Some Lesser Known Facts About Harish Pengan

• Harish Pengan was an Indian actor who predominantly worked in the Malayalam film industry. In 2011, he made his debut in the Malayalam film industry with the film Note Out. On 30 May 2023, he passed away due to liver-related ailments.

• Pengan’s father, Karunakaran Nair, owned a hotel in Athani, Nedumbasery, Ernakulam. Later, when Pengan completed his bachelor’s degree in commerce at the Mahatma Gandhi University (MG University), Athirampuzha, Kottayam, Kerala, he started working at his father’s hotel.

• His sister, Sindhu M. K., was a former member of the Nedumbassery Panchayat in Ernakulam, Kerala.

• While speaking about his career, in an interview, Harish revealed he got his first gig as an actor when he went to watch the shooting of the Malayalam-language TV serial Kayamkulam Kochunni; Harish, who dreamt of becoming an actor, met with the scriptwriter of the serial and informed him the same. The scriptwriter took his details and told the actor they would call him back in three months; exactly three months later, Harish was cast in the serial for the role of Pengan.

• The character of Pengan was well-received among the people, and later, he was known as Harish Pengan. In an interview, the actor revealed that he was so proud of being known through the name of the first-ever character he did and pointed out that was a huge honour for him.

• Later, he was cast in the Malayalam-language television serial Pookkaalam, directed by Vinayan J. Kottavattam. Harish met with Benny Kattappana while he was shooting for Pookkaalam; Benny worked as a production controller in the Malayalam film industry. In an interview, Harish revealed that Benny Kattappana gave him an entry into the Malayalam film industry.

• In 2011, Harish was cast in the Malayalam-language film Note Out; this was his debut film. The actor played a brief role of a shop vendor.

  

• In 2015, Harish played the role of a villager in the Malayalam film Kunjiramayanam directed by Basil Joseph; the film was Basil Joseph’s directorial debut.

• His breakthrough came in 2016 when Harish Pengan was cast as Tomy in the Malayalam film Maheshinte Prathikaaram directed by Dileesh Pothan; the film received critical appreciation and was a commercial success.

  

• In 2017, he was cast in the Malayalam film Honey Bee 2.5. In an interview, the actor revealed that the director and writer permitted him to improvise the character by working on it and gave him the freedom and space to come up with his ideas and suggestions for different scenes. He added that the grandfather’s character in the film was the longest role he played in the Malayalam film industry.

• In 2019, he played the role of Velichappadu in M. Padmakumar’s Malayalam-language period action film Mamangam.

• Pengan played the role of a tea shop owner in the Hindi-language Indian spy thriller web series The Family Man in 2019.

• In 2021, Harish was cast in the Malayalam-language film Anugraheethan Antony in which he played the role of Bento Mash.

• Harish essayed the role of Kunjumon in the Malayalam-language comedy-drama film Jan. E. Man in 2021.

• He was cast as one of the supporting actors in the 2022 Malayalam-language comedy-drama film Priyan Ottathilanu directed by Antony Sony; he played the role of security Gopalan and won praise for his performance.

  

• In 2022, Pengan was cast as Rasheed for Anup Pandalam’s Malayalam-language comedy-drama film Shefeekkinte Santhosham.

• The actor was cast in the Malayalam-language film Charles Enterprises; this was his last film, and it was released in theatres on 19 May 2023.

• Harish Pengan occasionally consumed alcoholic beverages.

  

• Some reports suggested that he was shooting for the Malayalam-language film Anweshippin Kandethum, starring Tovino Thomas before he was hospitalised due to some discomfort in the stomach. In an interview, his son, Rishi, revealed that Harish complained of abdominal pain, and he was taken to the Amrita Hospital in Edappally, Kochi, Kerala, where he underwent treatment.

• In early May 2023, he underwent treatment at the Amrita Hospital in Edappally, Kochi, Kerala. Later, test reports suggested that his liver was in serious condition and needed a liver transplant to save his life. His twin sister, Sreeja M. Nair, came forward to donate her liver, and tests confirmed she was a match for a donor; however, the fees for the procedure were reportedly around Rs. 30 Lakhs was too much for his family to come up with.

• Later, when the news of Pengan being admitted to the hospital reached the media, many of his colleagues and common folk came forward to raise funds for his transplant, and they started a campaign on social media to reach out to more people. Amidst this, Harish’s condition reportedly was deteriorating, and his intestines were infected, which later spread to his liver; reports from the hospital suggested that they could only go ahead with the transplant after the infection was under control.

• Harish was reportedly accused of being an alcoholic by a section on social media when the press reported that the actor was hospitalised due to liver-related ailments; they alleged that his excessive drinking habit led to complications of the liver. His friend and Malayalam director Manoj K Varghese denied these allegations and stated that Harish was not an alcoholic.

• Following the delay in arranging the funds for the liver transplant for the actor, some reports suggested that the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) and its executives were criticised on social media for their reluctance to help the actor, who was in a critical condition. Later, it was pointed out that the actor was not a member of AMMA; reportedly, some executives informed the family that there were some limitations for the organisation to help Harish financially since he was not a member of the organisation.

  

• On 30 May 2023, his condition worsened, and he passed away at the Amrita Hospital in Edappally, Kochi, Kerala.

• The Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, condoled the untimely death of Harish. Vijayan pointed out that many of the characters essayed by Pengan, though small, would remain in the audiences’ minds.

• Malayalam film actors such as Tovino Thomas, Basil Joseph, Unni Mukundan and Aju Varghese expressed their dismay over the sudden passing of the actor. The official social media handle of the Members of the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) paid their tribute to the actor.

• Later, his family confirmed that the last rites of the actor would take place on 31 May 2023 around 2.30 pm at his home in Thuruthissery, Nedumbassery, Ernakulam; however, the creation was preponed to 1.30 pm on 31 May 2023 due to an unexpected swelling of the body.