IANS/Chennai
Popular Tamil actor, writer and director R Manivannan died here yesterday following a cardiac arrest, a family friend said. He was 58.
He died at his residence in Nesapakkam, the friend said. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.
“I can’t believe he is no more. He was perfectly fine when I met him recently during the release of his 50th directorial film,” the friend said.
Actor Siddharth took to Twitter to mourn the death of the multi-faceted Manivannan.
“The great Manivannan Sir is no more. Many lives in cinema are what they are today because of him. Writer, director, actor… gone too soon. RIP,” Siddharth posted.
Manivannan’s 50th directorial film was the Tamil political-satire Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA, which recently released to a lukewarm response. It was the sequel to the highly successful film Amaidhi Padai.
Other noted films directed by Manivannan include Pudhu Manithan, Chinna Thambi Periya Thambi and Jalli Kattu.
It was as a character actor that Manivannan won the hearts of millions. Known for playing hero’s uncle or father in most films, Manivannan will be remembered for his roles in Tamil films such as Mudhalvan, Sangamam and Ullathai Allitha. He worked in over 400 Tamil films.
Actress Komal Sharma, who worked with Manivannan in Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA, remembers him as a “father figure” and a “great human being.”
“I still can’t believe he is no more. I met him two weeks back in his house and we were discussing about his next project. I used to call him ‘appa’ (father) because he was like a father to me. I will always remember him as a great human being,” Komal said.
