Malayali Film Director Naranipuzha Shanavas Passes Away In Kochi

'I hope your Sufi soul finds a place as beautiful as the one you created for us in Sufiyum Sujathayum,' wrote actress Aditi Rao Hydari

Image: Instagram/@aditiraohydari

Malayalam director-screenwriter Naranipuzha Shanavas died in a private hospital in Kochi. He was 37. Industry sources gave this information on Thursday. Naranipuzha suffered a heart attack a few days ago, after which he was admitted to a hospital in Coimbatore in critical condition. He was from Naranipuzha near Ponnani in Malappuram district.

Hospital sources said that he had a heart attack again last night while being shifted to a private hospital. He was brought to the hospital in critical condition at nine o'clock at night. Naranipuzha died at 10 pm. Shanwas' film Sufiyam Sujatayam was the first Malayali film to be released on OTT forums during the Corona virus lockdown. The film was written and directed by Naranipuzha Shanavas and produced by Vijay Babu, who also mourned Naranipuzha Shanavas in an Instagram post on Wednesday. He shared a picture of the director and a poster of their film. An excerpt from his post read: 'We tried our best for you, Shaanu...love you lots.'

Sharing a set of photos of herself and Naranipuzha Shanavas from the sets of their film, Aditi Rao Hydari described him as a 'kind and sensitive' man. She wrote: '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. #RIPShanawazNaranipuzha.'

Sufiyum Sujathayum also starred Jayasurya, Dev Mohan, and Siddique. The film premiered on Prime Video on July 3. The film showcased society's hypocrisy about interfaith marriages.

Naranipuzha Shanavas' films revolve around the religious and cultural divide. He made his directorial debut with the 2015 film Karie, which starred Gopu Keshav, Rammohan Ravindran and K T Satheesan.