Director Siddique no more: Malayalam stars Mohanlal, Mammootty and more pay condolences

Renowned Malayalam filmmaker Siddique died in Kochi after a heart attack. Many Mollywood actors have now condoled his death on social media.

Photo Courtesy: Instagram

Siddique, a popular Malayalam director, died on Tuesday, August 8, at 69. On August 7, 2023, at 3 p.m., Siddique was transported to the hospital in severe condition after having a heart attack. He was still in serious condition at a hospital in Kochi. After learning of his passing, various celebrities flocked to social media to express their condolences.

Mammootty condoled his death on facebook. His note can be roughly translated to, "Continuous departures of very dear ones... while experiencing the unbearable pain it causes.... For own Siddique Homage."

Mohanlal also wrote a note on Facebook which can be roughly translated to, "I can't believe the demise of my dear Siddique. Expressing stories through natural humor and common man's life problems, Siddique, who became a favorite among Malayalees worldwide, cannot express the sadness of his untimely departure. Due to the variety of topics and attraction of direction, millions of viewers were waiting for Siddique's every movie. Siddique has made us laugh a lot, brought tears to our eyes, reminded us not to lose hope, and set us a role model through his own life to reach the top. Siddique lived as an ordinary man, leaving luxury, being gentle in words and behavior, without showing hostility to anyone. I was lucky to act in Big Brother, the first film he acted as an assistant director from Kannumnattu to Big Brother's final film. Siddique was literally a big brother to me in cinema and in life. Condolences with pain."

Siddique suffered a heart attack on Monday afternoon (Aug 07), according to Indian Express. He was then placed on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) support. Despite his attempts, Siddique died on Tuesday night. According to reports, his mortal remains would be put at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Kadavanthra between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. for people to pay their last respects. The funeral will take place on Wednesday evening.

Siddique's famous filmmaking career began with his colleague Lal, under the tutelage of famed filmmaker Fazil. Fazil was drawn to the couple during their performances with the Cochin Kalabhavan group.

They were the legendary Siddique-Lal combo, responsible for several film masterpieces. Their first collaboration, Ramji Rao Speaking, was released in 1989 and later inspired the hit Bollywood film Hera Pheri and its Tamil counterpart Arangetra Velai.

Siddique and Lal collaborated on several hit films, including In Harihar Nagar, Godfather, Vietnam Colony, and Kabooliwala. The couple eventually split up in the 1990s, with Siddique continuing his filmmaking career and Lal focusing on acting and producing.

Foreign audiences recognised Siddique's director ability when he directed the 2011 Bollywood picture Bodyguard, starring Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor. The movie was a Hindi version of his Malayalam film of the same name.

His contributions to the Tamil cinema business included directing the Tamil remake of Bodyguard, dubbed Kaavalan, which starred Vijay and Asin. Siddique adapted his Malayalam blockbuster Friends for the Tamil audience, using the same title and starring Vijay, Suriya, and Vadivelu. His most recent film was released in 2020. Big Brother was the title of the film, and it starred Mohanlal.