Kunnisseri Veettil Raman Mani

Kalabhavan Mani was an Indian actor and singer who was one of the most popular and versatile actors of Malayalam cinema. He was born on 1 January 1971 in Chalakudy, Kerala, India as Kunnisseri Veettil Raman Mani. He completed his primary education from GLPS East School Chalakudy and Government Boys School, Chalakudy. He started his career as a mimicry artist with the Kalabhavan comedy troupe. He made his film debut in 1995 with the Malayalam film Aksharam as an auto rickshaw driver. He got his first major breakthrough with the Lohithadas movie Sallapam (1996), which was a hit. After this, he acted in several movies in comedy roles. He did some notable roles in movies such as Dilliwala Rajakumaran, Manthra Mothiram, Gajaraja Manthram, Katha Nayagan, Mayaponman and Kottappurathe Koottukudumbam. Mani's comic role as Monayi in the 1998 movie Summer in Bethlahem was appreciated among the audience. After portraying several comic characters, his true potential to do character roles was revealed in the film Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum. He did the role of a blind singer in it which earned him the Special Jury Award at both National Film Awards and Kerala State Film Awards. These awards helped Mani to do character roles and villain roles in several movies while also doing comedy roles in numerous films. In Vakkalathu Narayanankutty (2001), he played the villain role. However his performance as villain was first noted in the movie Rakshasa Rajavu (2001), where he played the role of a crooked corrupt politician called Gunasekharan. He appeared in over 250 films in various languages, such as Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu. Some of his most famous films are Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum (1999), where he played the role of Ramu, a blind singer, Karumadikuttan (2001), where he played the role of a mentally challenged orphan, and Gemini (2002), where he played the role of a rowdy leader. He also acted in some Hindi films, such as Zinda Laash (1999) and Company (2002). Apart from his acting career, Mani was also a talented folk singer and performed several folk songs during his stage shows. He released numerous music albums, and his unique voice and style of singing earned him a significant fan following. Some of his popular songs are "Minnaminunge Minnum Minunge", "Chalakudi Chandaku Pokumbol", "Odenda Odenda", and "Nadodi Poonthinkal". He was known for his versatility and his ability to play different types of characters, from comic to tragic, from historical to contemporary. He was also known for his humble and generous personality and his respect for his co-stars and fans. He was honoured with a stamp by the Indian government in 2016 and a doctorate from the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit in 2017. He was also the recipient of several other awards, such as the Filmfare Award, the Asianet Film Award, and the Kerala Film Critics Award. He was also involved in various charitable activities, such as donating money and land to the poor, building houses for the homeless, and providing free medical treatment to the needy. He died of organophosphate poisoning on 6 March 2016 at a hospital in Kochi, Kerala, India, at the age of 45. His death was a shock to the film industry and his fans alike. The exact cause of his death became a subject of controversy, with initial reports suggesting suicide, but later investigations pointing to murder. He was survived by his wife Nimmy and his daughter Sreelakshmi. He is still regarded as one of the greatest actors and singers of Malayalam cinema and an inspiration for many.