Filmmaker Ashish Kakkad has died at 49. He was a prominent name in the Gujarati film industry. Members of the Gujarati film fraternity are mourning the loss and paying tributes to the departed soul on social media. Ashish Kakkad died of a cardiac arrest in the wee hours on Tuesday in Kolkata. His friend of two decades, Nishith Mehta, confirmed the news. "He suffered a massive cardiac stroke at 3:50 pm in his sleep. The family’s planning to bring him back to Ahmedabad," he said. Ashish was in Kolkata to celebrate his daughter's birthday. Naresh Kanodia, Dadasaheb Phalke Award Winner, Dies Due to COVID-19 Two Days After Brother Mahesh Kanodia; PM Narendra Modi Mourns Their Demise (View Tweet).

Just a week ago, Ashish sounded pretty excited for the upcoming Ahemdabad Children's Film Festival, where he was a jury member. "I personally feel making cinema on children are more difficult than other film, it is an art and we must appreciate such efforts," he had said.

Ashish had also worked with late actor Sushant Singh Rajput in the film, Kai Po Che. "Sushant was always very emotional and impulsive. His acting reflected the same. I have seen the same when we worked together in Kai Po Che. I remember how emotionally invested he would get while he shot. There was a particular sequence in the film where he and I had a difference of opinion on how to go about it. I still remember how he wanted that scene to be enacted," Ashish said after Sushant's demise. Bhanu Athaiya, Costume Designer and India’s First Oscar Winner, Dies at 91 After Battling Brain Tumour.

Earlier, two more prominent names from the Gujarati film industry had passed away, Naresh Kanodia and Mahesh Kanodia. Talking about the deaths, Ojas Rawal wrote, "Losing gems every day. Shocking. RIP Ashish Kakkad." Yash Soni wrote, "You'll be missed sir, rest in peace."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 03, 2020 06:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).