Malayalam actor-mimicry artist Kalabhavan Haneef passes away
Kochi (PTI): Well-known actor and mimicry artist Kalabhavan Haneef died at a private hospital on Thursday here following a brief illness, industry sources said.
Haneef (63) had been under treatment at the hospital for some days, they said.
Hailing from Mattancherry near here, Haneef entered tinsel town through his mimicry performances.
He was a member of Kalabhavan, the famed performance troupe, which has played a key role in popularising the art form of mimicry in Kerala.
Like many of his co-artists in Kalabhavan, Haneefa also entered the world of cinema through a comic role. 'Cheppukilukkana Changathi' was his first movie.
He later acted in over 300 movies, the majority of them in humorous roles, in his years-long career in the film industry.
He also tried his luck in television serials and stage shows.
The Jude Anthony-directed film, '2018', was one of the latest movies in which the actor appeared.
Haneef is survived by his wife and two children.
Superstar Mammootty and Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cheriyan were among those who condoled the demise of the actor.
In a Facebook post, the minister said Haneef's spontaneous acting skills and dialogue delivery made his roles memorable.
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Niqab incident: Nitish Kumar perhaps revealing his true colours, says J-K CM
Srinagar (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday criticised his Bihar counterpart over the niqab incident and said that Nitish Kumar might be slowly revealing his true nature.
"Nitish Kumar, who was once considered a secular leader, may be slowly showing his true colours," Abdullah told reporters here on the sidelines of a function.
Abdullah said Kumar removing the face veil of a Muslim woman doctor was wrong and cannot be justified by any means.
"We have seen this kind of incident here several years ago. Have you forgotten how Mehbooba Mufti removed the burqa of a legitimate voter inside a polling station? That act was wrong, and this act (of Kumar) is also wrong.
"If the (Bihar) chief minister did not want to hand over the order to her (Muslim woman), they could have kept her aside. However, to humiliate her like this is totally wrong," the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said.
Kumar stirred a huge controversy after he removed the face veil of a Muslim woman at a function earlier this week.
