Thousands bid adieu to actor Kalabhavan Mani

Malayalam film star Kalabhavan Mani today cremated with full state honours at his home town here with thousands of mourners bidding a tearful farewell to the actor.
The cremation was held in the compound of his residential premises here in front of a large gathering of relatives, friends and his fans, who had come from different parts of the state to pay their homage to 45-year old Mani who had made a mark for himself acting in 200 odd South Indian films.
Police faced a tough time managing the crowd, who were yet to come to terms with the death of Mani.

Mani had won special jury National and state awards for his role in the popular film "Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njannum".
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condoled the demise of Mani.
"A promising career is cut short. Kalabhavan Mani was multifaceted and popular. Pained by his demise. Condolences to his family and fans," he tweeted.

Mani passed away yesterday at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) at Kochi where he had undergone treatment for liver and kidney ailments.
The actor's body was brought to the Thrissur Medical College Hospital this morning for an autopsy after doctors at AIMS found substance of methanol in his blood samples.

On information from the hospital, Police have registered a case of unnatural death and constituted a special investigation team to probe the cause.
Samples of his viscera has been sent for chemical analysis and the reports were expected in two days, police said. There was a long stream of mourners at the Thrissur Medical College Hospital, Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi and the chalakudy municipal office where the body was kept to enable the public to pay their last respects to the actor who rose from humble beginnings to carve a niche for himself in the South Indian film industry.