Malayalam actor Cochin Haneefa passes away

Well-known Malayalam film actor and director Cochin Haneefa passed away at a private hospital in Chennai this afternoon after a prolonged illness, sources close to him said.

He was 58. He is survived by his wife and two daughters, who are twins.

The sources said Haneefa, who was being treated for liver cancer for the past few months, died around 1500 hours.

Haneefa was born on April 22, 1951 as Salim Ahmed Ghouse. He had a degree in Botany. He became known as Cochin Haneefa after he joined Cochin Kalabhavan, a theatre group. The name Haneefa came from a character he essayed in a play while with the group.

He made his debut in films with a role in Ashtavakran in 1979 and went to act in about 300 Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi films. Though he has acted as a villain in some movies, it was as a comedian that he made a mark and won the hearts of fans. His mere presence on the screeen was enough to send the audience into laughter. As a director, he is known for the melodrama, Valtsalyam, 1993.

NNN