Actor-filmmaker Manobala dies at 69, Rajinikanth pays tribute to his 'dear friend': I am deeply saddened

Actor-filmmaker Manobala, who began his film career as an assistant director and went to direct over a dozen films, died on Wednesday at a private hospital in Chennai. As per his publicist, he was hospitalised 10 days ago, and was undergoing treatment for liver-related ailment. He was 69, and is survived by his wife and son. Also read: Rajinikanth pays a visit to Uddhav Thackeray and his family in Mumbai

Veteran actor Rajinikanth paid his tribute on Twitter in Tamil as he remembered his 'dear friend' Manobala. Rajinikanth’s tweet can be translated as, "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."

Producer G Dhananjayan also took to Twitter and wrote that he’s shocked to learn about Manobala’s death. He tweeted, “Shocking and it's unbelievable such a sweet person and a good friend Manobala sir passed away. Heartfelt condolences to the family. May his soul rest in peace (sic).” Actor Gautham Karthik also tweeted, “Heartbreaking to hear that director/actor Manobala sir is no longer with us. Was a true pleasure to work with you sir! You will be surely missed! Condolences to family, friends and loved ones...”

In 1979, Manobala started his film career as an assistant director with Bharathiraja’s Puthiya Vaarpugal. He also played a small role in the film. He made his directorial debut with 1982 Tamil film Aagaya Gangai. He had also directed the Hindi film, Mera Pati Sirf Mera Hai, starring Jeetendra. Some of his other directorial films include Pillai Nila, Sirai Parvai and Oorkavalan among others. His last directorial project was 2002 Tamil film Naina.

Over the last two decades, he was active as an actor. Mostly popular for character roles with a comic side, he had acted in over 200 films. His last on screen appearance was in Kajal Aggarwal’s Tamil horror comedy, Ghosty.