Remember the character of the rude associate of actor Raghuvaran in Mudhalvan? Or the Minister who gets stabbed by Superstar Rajinikanth in Sivaji? We’re talking about Cochin Haneefa, the man who portrayed such and many more characters with finesse.
Born as Salim Ahmed Ghoush in Kochi, Kerala on April 22nd 1951, Haneefa started his acting career in a drama troupe known as “Cochin Kalabhavan”, where he got his stage name: Cochin Haneefa. The troupe also included famed Malayalam artistes Jayaram, Kalabhavan Mani, Harisree Asokan, Salim Kumar, and Bindhu Panicker. Like all actors, Haneefa also had a struggling beginning. He made his debut in Malayalam films, in a small role in the movie ‘Ashtavakran’ in the year 1979. From there began an illustrious career spanning almost 300 movies in Malayalam and Tamil cinema.
Haneefa started his career in Malayalam by playing negative roles. Subsequently, he started doing comedy roles and became one of the most popular comedians in Malayalam film industry. He blended his natural humour in the characters he acted and left an indelible mark.
As an accomplished actor in Malayalam film industry, Haneefa also acted in Tamil movies. In 1994 he acted in Kamal Haasan’s ‘Mahanadhi’ directed by Santhana Bharathi. His negative character in the movie got him much appreciation and important break in Tamil film industry and later went to on to act as a comedian in several Tamil films including Priyadarshan’s Lesa Lesa, Something Something...Unakkum Enakkum, till the most recent ‘Vettaikkaran’ starring Vijay. Haneefa was also part of the regular cast in director Shankar’s movies like Mudhalvan, Anniyan and Sivaji. He acted in over 80 films in Tamil.
Cochin Haneefa’s USP, was his sense of humour and timing. He received the admiration of the Tamil audience as he used to deliver his Tamil dialogues with his flawless Malayalam accent. His on-screen chemistry with other actors was incredible. This was evident in his role in ‘Kadhala Kadhala’ starring Kamal Haasan in 1998.
Besides being an actor, Haneefa was also a noted film maker and talented writer. His maiden movie as director in Malayalam was ‘Vatsalyam’, starring Mammootty in 1993. Mammootty went on to receive the Kerala State Best Actor Award for that movie. Apart from directing movies in Malayalam, he also directed movies in Tamil. In 1988, he directed his first Tamil movie- Paasa Paravaigal, starring Sivakumar, Lakshmi and Radhika with melodious music by Illayaraja being a super hit. He directed five more movies in Tamil which include Paadatha Thenikkal, Paasa Mazhai, Pagalil Pournami, Pillai Pasam, and Vasaliley Oru Vennila between 1988 and 1991.
Cochin Haneefa was a devoted and committed artist. His absence from the film industries of both Malayalam and Tamil is a huge loss. His colleagues remember him as someone who could portray a variety of roles effortlessly. His last film as an actor is Ajith’s yet-to-be released ‘Asal’.
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