Actress Kalaranjini’s voice lost after acid‑tainted fake blood on set

Kalaranjini, a veteran Malayalam actress, lost most of her voice decades ago after swallowing fake blood that was accidentally mixed with acid instead of coconut oil during a shoot with superstar Prem Nazir. The scene required her to appear to vomit blood while wearing a white saree, so Nazir fed her the liquid as the director had planned. Immediately she felt burning, swelling and her windpipe tightened, leaving her unable to speak properly. Extensive medical treatment failed to restore her voice and she spent about three months in hospital. The mistake was later traced to makeup artist KV Bhaskar, one of Malayalam cinema’s leading makeup artists, who had used acid by hand slip. Kalaranjini says she holds no blame, calling it an honest error and recalling that Bhaskar was deeply upset and shunned by crews at the time. She helped him in his final days and maintains a good relationship with his children. Despite the injury, she continued acting, aided by co‑workers and dubbing artists. Ambili, now deceased, used to dub her lines. Director Roshan Andrrews urged her to use her own voice, though she lacked confidence. She eventually dubbed herself in the films Chirakodinja Kinavukal and later in Krishnadas Murali’s Bharathanatyam (2024) and its sequel Mohiniyattam (2026), which helped her regain some vocal ability. Kalaranjini’s sisters Kalpana and Urvashi enjoy more celebrated careers, but she remains noted for strong comic performances across Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and television. She says she bears no major sorrows and credits the cooperation of fellow artists for keeping her career alive.

Context

Fake blood on Indian film sets is traditionally made by mixing coconut oil with red colour, a practice meant to protect costumes. An accidental substitution with acid can cause severe chemical burns, explaining the lasting damage to Kalaranjini’s throat.