Shihan Hussaini, a martial artist, archery expert, actor, and TV host, passed away in Chennai in the early hours of Tuesday, March 25, after battling blood cancer and aplastic anemia. He was 60. His family confirmed the news and said that his body would be kept at his residence in Besant Nagar before being taken to Madurai for the final rites.
Despite facing a terminal illness, Hussaini remained positive, frequently updating his well-wishers about his health. Just days before his passing, he announced his decision to donate his organs for medical research. He had expressed a desire for his body to be handed over to Sri Ramachandra Medical College as homage to its founder, Ramasamy Udayar, who had long supported his karate association.
The family requested the archery fraternity to visit him in uniform, as a tribute.
Starting his acting career in K Balachander’s Punnagai Mannan in 1986, Hussaini went on to act in several films like Rajinikanth’s Velaikaran (1987), Unnai Solli Kutramillai (1990), Vedan (1993), and Vijay’s Badri (2001), where he played the role of a coach. His most recent appearance was in Vijay Sethupathi’s Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal (2022).
Hussaini’s life was marked by extraordinary acts of devotion, particularly toward former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. His unwavering admiration for her led to a series of extreme displays of loyalty, which often grabbed headlines.
One of his most sensational acts was his self-crucifixion in 2015, where he had his hands and feet nailed to a 300-kg wooden cross as a plea for Jayalalithaa’s return to power. Years earlier, in 2005, he painted 56 portraits of Jayalalithaa using his own blood for her 56th birthday. In 2013, he created a frozen blood bust of the leader using 11 litres of blood, including his own.
His obsession with blood in his artwork was a signature element of his self-styled ‘sensationalism.’ Even Jayalalithaa once advised him against such extreme acts. In a letter addressed to him after his crucifixion, she expressed shock and distress at his ‘extreme act of penance.’
Hussaini’s stunts extended beyond politics. In a bizarre test of endurance, he allowed 101 cars to drive over his right hand, after which he attempted to set a world record by using the same hand to break 5,000 tiles and 1,000 bricks. He also survived being bitten by venomous cobras and once set himself on fire with 140 litres of petrol.
Among his many controversial feats was unveiling a 22-foot bronze statue of Pope John Paul II, sculpting statues of Kalpana Chawla and Veerappan, and painting Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s portrait using pig’s blood.
In the late 1980s, he was falsely accused of being a Sri Lankan militant and imprisoned in Tihar Jail for 10 days. He used the experience to gain further attention, even showcasing an art exhibition titled ‘Tihar Return Hussaini.’
Even in his final days, he reached out to his former students, actors Pawan Kalyan and Vijay, seeking their support in preserving his legacy in karate.