Sufiyum Sujatayum director Naranipuzha Shanavas passes away in Kochi

After suffering a cardiac arrest while working for his next project in Coimbatore last week, Malayalam director Naranipuzha Shanavas was admitted to a hospital where he was put on a ventilator and declared brain dead on Tuesday.

Filmmaker Naranipuzha Shanavas, who is best known for his work in Malayalam romantic drama Sufiyum Sujatayum, passed away in Kochi on late Wednesday night in a private hospital. He was in his 40s.

Naranipuzha Shanavas directed Sufiyum Sujatayum, starring Aditi Rao Hydari and Jayasurya.

After suffering a cardiac arrest while working for his next project in Coimbatore last week, Shanavas was admitted to a hospital where he was put on a ventilator and declared brain dead on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he was brought to Aster Medcity in Kochi.

Shanavas’s film Sufiyum Sujatayum was the first Malayalam film to opt for direct-OTT release in 2020. It premiered on Amazon Prime a few months ago. The film starred Aditi Rao Hydari and Jayasurya in the lead.

As per a report by The News Minute, “Shanavas was admitted to the intensive care unit of KG Hospital in Coimbatore after going into a cardiogenic shock during the shooting of his upcoming film in Attapadi. His condition continued to remain serious, and he was on ventilator support for days. A cardiogenic shock stops the heart from being able to pump enough blood needed for the body, and is mostly followed after a heart attack.”

Upon hearing Shanavas’s untimely demise, Aditi Rao Hydari wrote on her Facebook page: “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 Sujatayum. Gone too soon. My prayers and condolences to the family,” she wrote on Facebook.

Shanavas made his debut as a filmmaker with Malayalam film Karie, which was about caste discrimination and is centered on a man from an oppressed caste.

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