Filmmaker Sangeeth Sivan died at a private hospital in Mumbai on May 8, reports Asianet News. He was 61. Sangeeth was undergoing treatment at a private hospital for an illness when he died, states reports. He is the eldest son of photographer-cinematographer Sivan and the brother of cinematographer-director Santosh Sivan, as well as renowned filmmaker Sanjeev Sivan. The filmmaker is survived by his wife, Jayashree, and children, Sanjana and Shanthanu.

A rich career in Hindi and Malayalam

Sangeeth hailed from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, but his foray into films was as an executive producer for Aamir Khan-starrer Raakh in 1989. His first film was the Malayalam Raghuvaran-starrer Vyooham in 1990. Since then, he went on to helm blockbuster films like Mohanlal’s Yodha, Gandharvam and Nirnayam.

Apart from Malayalam, he also directed films in Hindi like Zor, Kya Kool Hai Hum, Apna Sapna Money Money and Yamla Pagla Deewana 2. His last directorial was Kalki Koechlin and Bhumika Chawla’s web series Bhram in 2019. His next film Kapkapiii with Shreyas Talpade and Tusshar Kapoor was announced in March this year.

Celebs pay tribute

Riteish Deshmukh took to X (formerly Twitter) to mourn the loss, writing that he can't thank Sangeeth for believing in him, “Deeply saddened and shocked to know that Sangeeth Sivan Sir is no more. As a newcomer all you want is someone to believe in you and take a chance.. can’t thank him enough for Kya Kool Hai Hum & Apna Sapna Money Money. Soft spoken, gentle and a wonderful human being. Am heart broken today, my deepest condolences to his family and loved ones, his wife, kids, brothers. I will miss you Da !!!!! And your infectious laughter!!! Rest in Glory….”

Tusshar thanked Sangeeth for introducing him in comedy films, writing, “Don’t have words to describe what I’m feeling right now…. A mentor of sorts, someone who introduced me to comedy with #KyakoolHainHum is no more! Sangeeth ji, I had the honour of working with you again recently but it’ll take me a long time to get over this sad news! RIP sir you will be missed! #SangeethSivan #gem.”

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