Tamil director-actor Manobala passes away, Rajinikanth leads condolences

Tamil filmmaker and comedian Manobala passed away on Wednesday. He was 69. According to reports, Manobala was under medical care for the last few weeks due to live-related ailments. 

Manobala was a journalist before he took a plunge into the film industry. He started his career in movies by assisting legendary filmmaker Bharathiraja. And he also appeared in many minor roles in movies since the last 70s. He made his directorial debut with Agaya Gangai. The 1982 romantic drama had Karthik and Suhasini in the lead roles. And he went on to direct over 40 movies including movies like Moondrezhuthil En Moochirukkum, Mallu Vetti Minor, Moodu Manthiram, Sirai Paravai and Pillai Nila. 

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And in his successful stint as a director, Manobala worked with the biggest stars of Tamil cinema at the time. He also directed Superstar Rajinikanth in Oorkavalan. Released in 1987, the movie was a big commercial hit. And the comedy scenes in the movie remain favourites for the fans of Tamil cinema as they have stood the test of time. Especially, the naive attempts of Raadhika's Vadivu to win over the affection of Rajinikanth's Kangeyan were hilarious. 

Rajinikanth took to Twitter to pay his tribute to Manobala while calling him a "good friend." "I am deeply saddened by the passing away of my dear friend Manobala, a famous director and actor. My condolences to his family. May his soul rest in peace," he tweeted. 

Besides directing movies, Manobala also made a name for himself with his acting skills. He has acted in more than 170 movies. From character acting to comedy, Manobala leaves behind many memorable movies. 

Since last year Manobala has repeatedly been suffering from various health issues. According to industry sources, in the last few months, Manobala had grown more dull and tired and mostly kept to himself on the sets. Earlier this year, Manobala also underwent a heart procedure.

Manobala is survived by his wife Usha and son Harish.