Actor Rizabawa passes away; suffered stroke two days back

Rizabawa passed away at a private hospital in Kochi this afternoon. According to a film source, the actor had been in hospital for a couple of days after suffering a stroke. Apparently, he had also undergone a surgery a month back, though it is not clear what it was for.

While Rizabawa made his debut in the 1990 Shaji Kailas-film Dr Pasupathy, his most memorable character was that of the villain

John Hanoi

in the popular comedy In Harihar Nagar. The actor had gone on to play several prominent villain characters - working in over 120 films - in the 1990s and 2000s, before moving on to serials.

His most notable films include Kabuliwala, Nerariyan CBI, Cover Story, Aniyan Bava Chettan Bava and Balaram Vs Tharadas.

Rizabawa started his career in theatre. He won the Kerala State Award for Best Dubbing Artist in 2010 for Karmayogi, a Hamlet adaptation helmed by VK Prakash. His last film was 2021 political drama One, with Mammootty in the lead.

He is survived by his wife, daughter and son-in-law.