Director Siddique, known for Bodyguard, dies at 63, film fraternity offers condolences

Malayalam director Siddique died at the age of 63 on Tuesday. He was earlier admitted to a private hospital in Kochi after suffering a heart attack. The filmmaker had been receiving medical assistance due to liver disease and pneumonia. Siddique is survived by his wife Sajitha and three children.  

3 things you need to know

• Siddique's last hit film was Big Brother (2020) starring Mohanlal.
• The director was admitted to a hospital early morning on Monday.

 Siddique's funeral to be held tomorrow

Siddique suffered a heart attack at a time when he was being treated for other ailments. A medical bulletin from Amrita Hospital confirmed the time of his death at 9.10 pm on August 8.

(Siddique was hospitalised over liver ailments and died while receiving treatment | Image: ANI/Twitter)

His mortal remains will be housed at Kadavanthra's Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium from 9 am until 11:30 am tomorrow, August 9. Fans will be allowed to pay their last respects to him at the venue. Later, the remains will be shifted to his home. The funeral of the filmmaker will be held on Wednesday at 6 o'clock. 

Celebrities in Kerala used social media to express their sorrow for the death of Siddique. Dulquer Salmaan took to his Instagram handle and wrote “The gentlest soul. The kindest human. A gifted writer/director. The most incredible humor hiding behind his soft demeanour. He gave us some of the most iconic films. Part of our pop culture and referred to in our everyday conversations. This is an immeasurable loss. Prayers and strength to Siddique Sirs family and loved ones.” Basil Joseph, Kunchako Boban and Manju Warrier also offered their condolences to the director’s family.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Dulquer Salmaan (@dqsalmaan)

Siddique's professional journey

Siddique  began his career as an assistant director to Fazil. Later, he started his directorial career co-directing with Lal. They did several films together including Godfather. The duo later parted ways and Siddique pursued a solo career helming Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and Malayalam language movies. He has directed some of Mohanlal and Mammootty's best movies through the 2000s. Siddique's best films include the Dileep starrer Bodyguard, Ramji Rao Speaking, Bhaskar the Rascal.