Innocent Vareed Thekkethala (28 February 1948 – 26 March 2023), known mononymously as Innocent, was an Indian actor, film producer, writer and politician. In a career spanning nearly five decades, he appeared in over 700 films, predominantly in Malayalam cinema, with additional work in Tamil, Kannada, Hindi and English films. He was widely regarded as one of the most prominent comedians in Malayalam cinema and was also recognised for his nuanced negative and character roles. His wit and dialogue delivery in the distinctive Thrissur slang became a notable aspect of his screen presence.
Innocent received several honours during his career, including three Kerala State Film Awards, a Kerala Film Critics Award, a Filmfare Award South and seven Asianet Film Awards. He served as the president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) from 2003 to 2018.
In public life, Innocent was elected as a municipal councillor of Irinjalakuda municipality in 1979. He later served as a Member of Parliament in the 16th Lok Sabha (2014–2019), representing the Chalakudy constituency, having won the 2014 Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate supported by the Left Democratic Front (LDF).
Apart from cinema and politics, Innocent was a prolific writer who authored seven books drawn from various phases of his life, written with a humorous undertone, and contributed columns to numerous magazines and newspapers. Diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2012, he returned to films in 2013 with works such as Geethanjali after recovering from the initial stage of treatment. His memoir Cancer Wardile Chiri (Laughter in the Cancer Ward) was written during this period. In 2020, he received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Humour for his book Irinjalakudakku Chuttum.
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article on Innocent (actor).