Cochin Haneefa is no more. The veteran actor died yesterday at a private hospital in Chennai due to liver failure. He was not only an actor but a director, a writer and a good human. His death is mourned by his family, the film industry as well as his fans.

Cochin Haneefa happened to come from Cochin Kalabhavan and was so much attached to his character Haneefa, a role he did in a drama, that he became Cochin Haneefa from Salim Ahmed Ghosh. He was born in 1951. He made his first debut as a villain in his career and then turned to comedy. And true he excelled in that too. Hydrose in Kireedam, Eldo in Mannar Mathai speaking, Mani Uncle in Soothradharan, Thrivikraman in Meesamadhavan and the mental hospital warden in Thalavattam are some of his memorable characters. His role in Soothradharan won him the State Award for best supporting actor.

Valsalyam, scripted by the late Lohithadas, is directed by him. The movie still bring tears in the eyes of the audience. Bheeshmacharya is another film by him. All are memorable memories now. He has acted in about 300 films in all including Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu. His last released film in Malayalam was Body Guard with Dileep.

The cremation took place at central Juma Masjid, Cochin. He is survived by his wife and two children. He was indeed a good person, a one in all and his death is a very great loss for the film industry.