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Manobala Age, Death, Wife, Family, Biography & More

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Wife: Usha Mahadevan
Death Cause: Liver Ailments
Death Date: 03/05/2023

Manobala

Bio/Wiki
Real NameBalachander [1]YouTube - Touring Talkies
Full nameManobala Mahadevan [2]Instagram – Manobala Mahadevan
NicknameMano
Profession(s)Actor, Film Director, Producer, Comedian, YouTuber
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)in centimeters- 178 cm
in meters- 1.78 m
in feet & inches- 5’ 10”
Eye ColourBlack
Hair ColourBlack
Career
DebutFilm (Tamil; As an assistant director): Kizhakke Pogum Rail (1978)
Kizhakke Pogum Rail
Film (Tamil; As an actor): Puthiya Vaarpugal (1979) as a panchayat member
Puthiya Vaarpugal
Film (Kannada; As a director): December 31 (1986)
December 31
Film (Hindi; As a director): Mera Pati Sirf Mera Hai (1990)
Mera Pati Sirf Mera Hai
TV (Tamil; As an actor): Alli Rajjiyam (2005) as Namachivayam; aired on Sun TV
Alli Rajjiyam
Film (Telugu; As an actor): Kathanayakudu (2008) as a sub-inspector
Kathanayakudu
Film (Malayalam; As an actor): B. Tech (2018) as Mano
B. Tech
Last FilmGhosty (2023; Tamil)
Ghosty
Awards2015: Best Debutant Producer by SIIMA – Tamil
2019: Best Comedian by M. G. Ramachandran Awards
Manobala receiving an award for Best Comedian
2021: Jananaayakan Pride of Tamil Cinema
Manobala with his award
2022: Honorary Doctorate by Global Achievers
Manobala receiving his honorary doctorate degree
2022: Subaskaran Udhayanidhi Stal Sivakarthikeyan Award
Manobala's Subaskaran Udhayanidhi Stal Sivakarthikeyan Award

Note: He won many more awards.
An old picture of Manobala receiving an award

An old photo of Manobala receiving an award

Manobala receiving an award for Best Comedian
Personal Life
Date of Birth8 December 1953 (Tuesday)
BirthplaceMarungoor, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu
Date of Death3 May 2023
Place of DeathHis residence in Saligramam, Chennai
Age (at the time of death)69 Years
Death CauseLiver Ailments [3]The Indian Express
Zodiac signSagittarius
SignatureManobala's signature
NationalityIndian
HometownKanyakumari, Tamil Nadu
College/UniversityGovernment College of Arts, Tamil Nadu
Educational QualificationGraduation in Painting [4]India Herald
Blood GroupB+
HobbiesDancing, Listening to music, Reading Books, Travelling
Relationships & More
Marital Status (at the time of death)Married
Family
Wife/SpouseUsha Mahadevan
Manobala with his wife and son
ChildrenSon- Harish Mahadevan (works in the USA; image in wife's section)
Daughter- None

Manobala

Some Lesser Known Facts About Manobala

  • Manobala was an Indian actor, film director, producer, comedian, and YouTuber, who worked as an actor in more than 350 films. He also directed around 20 TV serials and 10 telefilms.
  • During his struggling days, he was a part of the South Indian actor-director group ‘Azhwarpet’ including Kamal Haasan, Mani Ratnam, and Santhana Bharathi. At that time all the group members used to stay at Kamal’s house.
  • He started gaining popularity with his roles in various Tamil films like ‘Gopurangal Saivathillai’ (1982), ‘Gangai Karai Paattu’ (1995), ‘Swarnamukhi’ (1998), ‘Minsara Kanna’ (1999), and ‘Sethu’ (1999).

    Manobala's old picture with other actors

    Manobala’s old picture with other actors

  • He directed the Tami telefilm ‘Siragugal’ in 2001, which was aired on Sun TV.
  • Some of his other popular Tamil films are ‘Nala Damayanthi’ (2003), ‘Ethir Neechal’ (2013), ‘Aranmanai’ (2014), ‘Ghajinikanth’ (2018), and ‘Murungakkai Chips’ (2021).

    Ethir Neechal

    Ethir Neechal

  • He appeared in various Telugu films such as ‘Punnami Naagu’ (2009), ‘Manasunu Maaya Seyake’ (2014), ‘Dega’ (2016), ‘Rajadhi Raja’ (2016), and ‘Mahanati’ (2018).

    Rajadhi Raja

    Rajadhi Raja

  • He also acted in a few Malayalam films like ‘Jomonte Suvisheshangal’ (2017) and ‘Viddikalude Mash’ (2022).

    Viddikalude Mash

    Viddikalude Mash

  • Some of his Tamil films as a director are ‘Paaru Paaru Pattanam Paaru’ (1986), ‘Dhoorathu Pachai’ (1987), ‘Moondrezhuthil En Moochirukkum’ (1991), ‘Annai’ (2000), and ‘Naina’ (2002).
  • Manobala worked as a director in a few Tamil TV serials like ‘Panchavarnam’ (1999; Sun TV), ‘Punnagai’ (2007; Sun TV), and ‘777’ (2009; Polimer TV).
  • He started his YouTube channel ‘Manobala’s Waste Paper’ in 2019. He uploaded interview videos of South Indian celebrities on his channel. He had around 449k subscribers on his YouTube channel.

    Manobala's YouTube channel

    Manobala’s YouTube channel

  • He worked as a dubbing artist for the Tamil version of the Hollywood film animated film ‘The Lion King.’ He dubbed for the character of Zazu (originally dubbed by John Oliver).
  • He acted in Tamil TV serials like ‘Maya’ (2018; Sun TV) and ‘Sembaruthi’ (2020; Zee Tamizh).

    Maya

    Maya

  • He participated in the third season of the Tamil reality TV show ‘Cooku with Comali’ (2022), which aired on Star Vijay.

    Manobala in Cooku with Comali season 3

    Manobala in Cooku with Comali season 3

  • He once shared in an interview that he used to smoke around 200 cigarettes a day which affected his health and his work. He said that his friends used to call him ‘Chimney’ for being a chain smoker. [5]India Today He said,

    When I was at my peak as a director, I had a terrible cigarette habit. They called me ‘Chimney’ because I kept smoking. Hindi actress Rekha tied two panparak pockets and hung them around my neck. The arrangement is to tap the cigarette ash into it. I smoked 200 cigarettes a day. That’s why all my bones are weak. In fact, at one point, doctors said that if I smoked one cigarette, I would die. That’s when I stopped. “

  • He was a religious person, and he often visited various temples.

    Manobala in a temple

    Manobala in a temple

  • In 2020, Manobala was appointed as the president of Chinnathirai Nadigar Sangam.
  • In 2021, he became a jury member at Blacksheep Digital Awards.

    Manobala as a jury member

    Manobala as a jury member

  • He was appointed as a member of the Tamil Nadu Film Directors Association on 27 February 2022.

    Manobala - Member of Tamil Nadu Film Directors Association

    Manobala – Member of Tamil Nadu Film Directors Association

  • In January 2023, he had an angio-treatment. In March 2023, he started feeling unwell and was admitted to Apollo Hospital in Chennai. He was then shifted to his home in Saligramam, Chennai. However, he could not recover, and on 3 May 2023, he died of liver ailments. On his demise, the Indian actor Rajinikanth shared his grief through his Twitter account. [6]The Indian Express He tweeted,

    I am deeply saddened by the passing away of my dear friend Manobhala, a famous director and actor. My condolences to his family. May his soul rest in peace.”