Manobala Death: Rajnikanth, Kamal Haasan lead tributes to late Tamil actor-director

Actor-director Manobala passed away in Chennai on Wednesday following an illness. After his death, photos of the late film personality with Thalapathy Vijay, Suriya, Dhanush, Ajith Kumar and other top Tamil stars have been trending online, with fans sharing their heartfelt tributes. Superstar Rajnikanth also mourned Manobala's passing on Twitter. They worked together in several films. Kamal Haasan,  Radikaa Sarathkumar, Manoj Manchu, Gautam Karthik, film producer Dr Dhananjayan and other regional celebrities also remembered him and the fond memories he left behind.

In a tweet, Rajinikanth expressed grief over the death of his "dear friend" and extended his sympathies with the family of the deceased. "Shocking & it's unbelievable such a sweet person & a good friend #Manobala sir passed away." He wrote the condolence message in Tamil. In the comments dection, fans shared their BTS pictures from sets. 

பிரபல இயக்குநரும், நடிகருமான, அருமை நண்பர் மனோபாலாவுடைய இறப்பு எனக்கு மிகவும் வேதனை அளிக்கிறது. அவருடைய குடும்பத்தினருக்கு என்னுடைய அனுதாபங்கள். அவரது ஆத்மா சாந்தியடையட்டும்.@manobalam

— Rajinikanth (@rajinikanth)

Radikaa Sarathkumar wrote, "I am so heartbroken, just this morning I called and enquired to where he was to go and visit him. Shocked beyond belief. Shared so much with him professionally and on a personal level we both learnt, laughed, fought, ate together and had long conversations about many things, he was a talented person, cld adapt well to all situations. Will miss him 

I am so heartbroken, just this morning I called and enquired to where he was to go and visit him. Shocked beyond belief. Shared so much with him professionally and on a personal level we both learnt, laughed , fought , ate together and had long conversations about many things, he… pic.twitter.com/pFopx60D5u

— Radikaa Sarathkumar (@realradikaa)

Kamal Haasan wrote, "The news of the passing away of a good friend who was a director, actor and producer, Manobala is a great sadness. His primary identity was that of an enthusiast of cinema. My condolences to his bereaved family, friends and fans (sic)."

இயக்குனர், நடிகர், தயாரிப்பாளர் என பன்முகம் கொண்ட இனிய நண்பர் மனோபாலா மறைந்த செய்தி பெரும் துயரத்தை அளிக்கிறது. சினிமாவின் ஆர்வலர் என்பதே அவரது முதன்மையான அடையாளமாக இருந்தது. அவரை இழந்து வாடும் குடும்பத்தாருக்கும், நண்பர்களுக்கும், அவரது ரசிகர்களுக்கும் எனது ஆறுதலைத்…

— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan)

About Manobala 

Manobala (69) started off his career as a director, making movies with top stars including Rajinikanth, Vijayakanth and Sathyaraj. He had of late ventured into acting, largely confining himself to comic roles and featured in a number of movies with top actors including Vijay and Dhanush. He has also produced a couple of films. The actor started his career in the Tamil film industry in the late 1970s. He became an assistant director with Bharathiraja for his 1979 directorial Puthiya Vaarpugal. In 1982, he made his directorial debut with Agaya Gangai.

In 1990, Manobala directed his first and only Hindi film, titled Mera Pati Sirf Mera Hai. It starred Jeetendra, Rekha and Raadhika. It is a remake of Manobala's Tamil film En Purushanthaan Enakku Mattumthaan (1989). It was also remade in Telugu as Naa Mogudu Naake Sontham and in Kannada as Hatamari Hennu Kiladi Gandu.