Malayalam filmmaker Shanavas Naranippuzha no more

Kochi: Malayalam film director Shanavas Naranippuzha, who suffered a heart attack a few days ago, died at a private hospital here, film industry sources said here on Thursday.

Shanavas(37), hailing from Naranipuzha near Ponnani in Malappuram district, was admitted to a hospital in Coimbatore in a serious condition after he suffered a heart attack.

But he suffered another attack while being shifted to the private hospital here last night for better medical care, hospital sources said.

He was brought to the hospital at 9 pm in a serious condition.

His end came after 10 pm. He had suffered brain damage too.

Efforts to revive him did not yield result, they said.

Shanavas’s movie “Sufiyum Sujatayum” was the first Malayalam film released on OTT platform during coronavirus lockdown.

Aditi Rao Hydari, who was the lead actress in the movie, recalled that he was “as kind and sensitive as his stories”.

“Rest in Peace Shanavas sir. I Hope your Sufi soul finds a place as beautiful as the one you created for us in Sufiyum Sujathayum. Gone too soon. My Prayers and condolences to the family,” she wrote on her social media account.

“Karie” released in 2015 was his debut movie.

Kerala cultural minister A K Balan condoled his untimely demise, saying it was a huge loss for the Malayalam film industry.