Habeeb Muhammed (28 February 1965 – 30 November 2017), better known by his stage name Kalabhavan Abi, was an Indian impressionist, comedian, actor, and dubbing artist.

Personal life

Abi was born as the third son to Kavumkara Thadathikkudiyil (Thonganal) Bava Khan, a noted social worker and the former state general secretary of

Kerala Congress Kerala Congress is an Indian political party founded at Kottayam, Kerala in October, 1964, by a block of former Indian National Congress leaders led by K. M. George. The party is primarily active in central Kerala. The establishment of Kerala ...

, and Payipra Ezhuthanikattu Ummakunju on 28 February 1965 at

Muvattupuzha Muvattupuzha () is a town in the midlands directly to the east of Kochi in Ernakulam district, Kerala, India. It is located about from downtown Kochi, and is a growing urban centre in central Kerala. The town is also the starting po ...

, Ernakulam. He has two elder brothers Ameer Navas and Kabeer B Haroon, and a younger sister Raziya. He had his primary education at Government Higher Secondary School, Muvattupuzha. He did his pre university degree from

Maharaja's College, Ernakulam The Maharaja's College is a government college of higher education located in Kochi, Kerala. Established in 1875, it is one of the oldest colleges in India. Located in the heart of the city, the college is spread over a campus of on the ban ...

. He studied Sanitary Inspector's Diploma Course (S.I.) at Mumbai. He was married to Sunila. They had a son,

Shane Nigam Shane Nigam is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam films. Having made his debut with the 2013 road film ''Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi'' (2013), he went to receive wider attention for his performances in various successful drama ...

, two daughters, Ahana and Aleena. They settled at Elamakkara, Kochi. He was under treatment for

aplastic anemia Aplastic anemia is a cancer in which the body fails to make blood cells in sufficient numbers. Blood cells are produced in the bone marrow by stem cells that reside there. Aplastic anemia causes a deficiency of all blood cell types: red blood c ...

for two years before his death. On 30 November 2017 he was taken to Amrita Hospital at around 8 a.m. after he complained of uneasiness. Doctors confirmed death after half an hour. The death happened 45 mins before that. His funeral took place at Perumattam, Muvattupuzha Muslim Jamath mosque.

Career

Abi began his stage career in Youth Festivals in the Mahatma Gandhi University and had twice bagged the first prize in mimicry competitions which brought him into the mimicry troupe

Kalabhavan Kalabhavan ( lit. "The House of Arts"), also known as Cochin Kalabhavan, is a centre for learning performing arts in Kochi, India. ''Kalabhavan'' is notable and known for being the first organized performing mimicry group in Kerala and which p ...

. Later, he worked in the troupes Cochin Sagar, Cochin Oscar and Harisree. Cochin Sagar is a troupe he formed in 1990 and later on has worked in its banner. His debut film was ''

Nayam Vyakthamakkunnu ''Nayam Vyakthamakkunnu'' (English: ''Making Your Stand Clear'') is a 1991 Indian Malayalam film, directed by Balachandra Menon and produced by R. Mohan. The film stars Mammootty and Shanthi Krishna in the lead roles. The film has musical sc ...

'' in 1991, and has then acted in about 50 films. As a stage performer, he is best known for his performance as an elderly Muslim woman named ''Amina Thatha'', and is also known for mimicking voice of actor Mammootty. Along with

Dileep Gopalakrishnan Padmanabhan Pillai, better known by his stage name Dileep, is an Indian actor, producer, and businessman who predominantly works in the Malayalam film industry. He has acted in more than 150 films and has won several awards, in ...

and

Nadirshah Nadhirshah is an Indian film director, music composer, singer, lyricist, actor, mimicry artist, comedian, and television host, who works in Malayalam films, television and stage. He has done several supporting roles in Malayalam cinema. His are ...

, Abi is one among the pioneers that produced comedy audio albums, ''Dhe Maveli Kombathu'' and ''Onathinidakku Puttu kachavadam'' in the 1990s. Abhi was also the voice behind

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most success ...

in many Malayalam dubbed advertisements. His popular movies are Kireedamillatha Rajakkanmar, Aniyathipravu, Mazhavil Koodaram and Rasikan. Abi's last film was

Thrissivaperoor Kliptham ''Thrissivaperoor Kliptham'' (English: Thrissivaperoor Ltd.) is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language black comedy-thriller film directed by debutant Ratheish Kumar and written by PS Rafeeque. It stars Asif Ali, Chemban Vinod Jose, Aparna Balamura ...

in 2017. Abi's son,

, is an actor.

Filmography

Actor

*All films are in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

language unless otherwise noted.

Singer

Television

*Prekshakare Avashyamundu (

Mazhavil Manorama Mazhavil Manorama is an Indian Free-to-air Malayalam general entertainment television channel operated and owned by Malayala Manorama Television (MMTV), the publisher of the widely circulated ''Malayalam Manorama'' daily, and the Malayalam wom ...

) *Midukki (

) *Cinemaa Chirimaa(

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abi, Kalabhavan 1965 births 2017 deaths Male actors from Kerala Male actors in Malayalam cinema Male actors in Malayalam television Indian impressionists (entertainers) People from Ernakulam district