Popular Tamil actor-turned-politician Cho Ramaswamy, 80, was Wednesday admitted to a private hospital after he complained of breathing problems.

"He was rushed to Apollo Hospital after experiencing some difficulty in breathing. He has been admitted to the intensive care unit," a source close to the family told IANS.

A celebrated comedian, Ramaswamy started his career as a theatre artiste. One of his popular plays is "Mohammed Bin Tuglak", which he later directed for the silver screen.

Some of his other popular films include "Kazhugu", "Galatta Kalyanam" and "Gowravam".

Ramaswamy, who is also the editor of popular Tamil magazine Tuglak, has been suffering health-related ailments for the last 12 months.