The actor, best known for his villainous role as John Honai in the film In Harihara Nagar, was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Ernakulam for kidney-related ailments.
Rarely has a Malayalam actor been recognized for a single role, which he did early in his career, as much as Rijabava as John Honai, a menacing villain. in Harihar Nagar which came out in 1990.
So much so that when he died on Monday afternoon at the age of 55, almost everyone’s first reference was to John Honai, despite Rizabawa acting in over a hundred films and television serials.
The actor was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Ernakulam for kidney-related ailments. He was on ventilator support for the last few days.
Read also | Get ‘First Day First Show’ our weekly newsletter from the world of cinema delivered to your inbox. You can subscribe for free here
quick start
Rizabawa began acting during her school days, following in the footsteps of her father Ismail, who was active in the theater circuit. After a few years on stage, Rizabawa made her silver screen debut in 1984 with vishupakshi, which was never released.
Six years later, he played the lead role of Pappan. Dr. Pashupati, directed by Shaji Kailas. However, actor Innocent made headlines with the title role of a vet.
Things changed with Siddiqui-Lal in Harihar Nagar which released the same year, made Rizabawa a familiar face to the Malayalee audience. Every time John Honai appears on the screen, S. With Balakrishnan’s catchy background score, Rizabawa stole the show with his chilling villainy in the comic caper.
Since then, he has starred in over 120 films featuring character roles as well as antagonists. However, none of these might have managed to catch the eye quite like John Honai, although the actor put up a commendable performance. His popular films include Anaval Mothiram, Kabuliwala, Aniya Bawa Chetan Bav, Pokkiri Raja, Georgekutty c/o Georgekutty, vismayathumbathu, Nerion CBI, cover story, congratulation, Stranger And Bandhukkal Shatrukkal. He was last seen on the big screen in Mammootty-starrer. was seen in One, released earlier this year. He also acted in several television serials.
dubbing work
Rijabawa also made good use of his voice as a dubbing artist. He received the State Film Award for Best Dubbing Artist karma yogi lent his voice to Thalaivajal Vijay, starring Indrajit Sukumaran in the lead role.
Condoling his death, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that Rijabawa has carved a place in the hearts of Malayalees through some remarkable characters.
.