A period of five years can be considered as nothing more than a blip in the long arc of Malayalam cinema marked by historic successes and unexpected failures. But, in the years from 1989 to 1993, the filmmaker duo of Siddique-Lal shot across our cinematic sky, burning bright with unparalleled hits before going their separate ways.
Siddique, who passed away at a private hospital in Kochi at 9.10 p.m. on August 8, was one half of the most successful filmmaker duo in the industry, who conjured up humorous repartees, which are still a part of everyday conversations for Malayalis, three decades later.
Siddique Ismail was born as the second one of eight children in a not so well off family in Kochi. In later years, he would recollect that his first taste of humour was from within the family, through the rib-tickling acts of some of his close relatives. The inate humour would draw him and his friend Lal to the Kalabhavan troupe, where they started the popular show ‘Mimics Parade’, along with a group of formidable performers and writers. It made mimicry a popular art form in venues across Kerala as well as with the expat communities.
