Noted mimicry artiste and actor Kalabhavan Navas, 51, died here on Friday (August 1, 2025).
He was found unconscious in a hotel room at Chottanikkara in the evening. He was rushed to a nearby private hospital, where his death was confirmed. The police suspect that he died due to heart failure, though a post-mortem would be held at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kalamassery, on Saturday to confirm the cause of the death.
Navas was staying in the hotel as part of the shooting of the Malayalam movie Prakambanam. He was supposed to check out of the room on Friday evening. The hotel staff found him in an unconscious state after he did not appear at the reception for check-out. The police said that nothing suspicious was found from his room.
Navas entered the tinsel town after making a mark as a popular mimicry artiste. He was adept in emulating the voice of various actors and excelled in stage performances. He added Kalabhavan to his name after he joined the popular mimicry troupe in Cochin Kalabhavan, which was instrumental in offering a creative space for several mimicry artistes in Kerala. He had performed with popular mimicry artistes including Kottayam Nazeer, K.S. Prasad, and the late Abi.
He made his debut in Malayalam through the movie Chaithanyam in 1995. Some of the movies that he had acted include Mimics Action 500, Junior Mandrake, Mattupetti Machan, Chandamama, and One Man Show, to name a few. He was last seen in the film Detective Ujjwalan.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled the death of Navas, who had endeared himself to masses as a stage comedian and actor.
Published – August 01, 2025 11:16 pm IST