Celebrated Malayalam filmmaker Siddique Ismail, who directed Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor starrer Bodyguard in Hindi too, passed away today (8th August) in Kochi. He had suffered a heart attack yesterday (7th) and was admitted to a hospital where he breathed his last late this evening. He was 68 years old. He is survived by his wife and three children. Siddique had been hospitalised last month for a liver ailment.
Siddique Ismail’s body will be kept at Kadavanthra’s Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium tomorrow (9th) from 9 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. and later at his residence for people to pay their homage. His funeral will be held at 6 p.m.
Siddique, who was one of the most popular Malayalam film directors of all time, entered the film industry by assisting legendary filmmaker Fazil. He and his friend, Lal, were spotted by Fazil during their performances with the Cochin Kalabhavan’s mimicry troupe. They started out as the Siddique-Lal director duo, debuting with the timeless comedy, Ramji Rao Speaking (1989). They followed it up with successful Malayalam films like In Harihar Nagar (1990), Godfather (1991), Vietnam Colony (1992) and Kabooliwala (1993). The hallmark of Siddique-Lal’s films was that they featured relatable characters, setting a new standard for contemporary comedy. The reason for their ultimate split is not known as both the filmmakers chose not to speak about it.
Some of Siddique Ismail’s popular solo directorial ventures include Hitler, Friends, Chronic Bachelor, Bhaskar The Rascal, Ladies And Gentlemen and Bodyguard. He helmed the Hindi remake of Bodyguard. In Tamil, the remake, which was also directed by Siddique, was titled Kavalan and it starred Vijay. His last directorial venture was Big Brother (2020), starring Mohanlal, Arbaaz Khan, Anoop Menon and Honey Rose.