Salim Ahmed Ghoush, better known by his stage name Cochin Haneefa, was an Indian film actor, director, and screenwriter. He started his career in the 1970s mainly portraying villainous roles, before going on to become one of the most popular comedians of Malayalam cinema. He has acted in more than 300 films in Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi. As a director he is best known for the films Aankiliyude Tharattu (1987) and Valtsalyam (1993).