Veteran Malayalam actor Thilakan's health condition is critically ill, said doctors at the KIMS Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram. They also said that he has very little chances of recovery.

They said the 76 year-old actor, admitted to the hospital on August 23, continued to be on ventilator support and his condition was still serious.

Meanwhile, after visiting the actor in hospital, Kerala Health Minister V S Sivakumar told reporters, "We'll ensure that he gets the best available treatment here. The state government has decided to bear the entire cost of his treatment."

Thilakan was part of many successful Malayalam and Tamil movies. Earlier this month, he was admitted to Thrissur-based Jubilee Hospital after suffering a stroke.

The popular actor had complained of uneasiness last week during a film shoot and was admitted to a private nursing home in Palakkad, from where he was shifted to the Jubilee Mission Hospital Medical College in Thrissur.