Siddique, one half of the former Siddique-Lal director jodi, is no more. The famed director was recently admitted in hospital after suffering from chest pains, passed away on August 8 of cardiac arrest. He was 69. The tragic demise of the filmmaker is a terrible loss to Malayalam cinema, since Siddique was responsible for some of the most enjoyable blockbusters that many Malayali film fans have grown up watching. Siddique Dies at 69 of Cardiac Arrest, Malayalam Director Was Known For Directing Blockbusters Like Godfather, In Harihar Nagar and Bodyguard.

Siddique was born on August 1, 1954 in Kochi. Siddique began his career first as a mimicry artist in the Cochin Kalabhavan troupe, along with his former directing partner Lal. They later began to assist director Fazil (Fahadh Faasil's father) in some of his early movies, before branching out as independent directors.

Old Video of Siddique and Lal Performing Mimicry:

In  fact, Fazil was the producer of their debut film, Ramji Rao Speaking. The film, which released in 1989, was a major blockbuster launching the career of the directors in a grand way, and also its lead actor Saikumar. Their second film, In Harihar Nagar, was also a huge hit, while their third film Godfather was an all time blockbuster. Malayali family audiences were loving their blend of humour and drama, served in an entertaining manner.

Siddique-Lal later worked with Mohanlal in Vietnam Colony which was also a major hit. Kabuliwala was the last film that came with the Siddique-Lal director tag.

A Scene From In Harihar Nagar:

With the 1996 film Hitler, that had Mammootty in the lead, Siddique-Lal split up, with Siddique being the sole director, but Lal continued as a producer. This working operandus also extended to their next film, Friends. Both Hitler and Friends were major blockbusters and got remakes in other languages. Siddique also remade the Tamil remake of Friends by the same name, that starred Thalapathy Vijay and Suriya, which was also a major hit.

With the 2001 Mammootty-starrer Chronic Bachelor, Siddique became an independent filmmaker (Lal had a successful acting and producing career, while also directing a couple of films including two sequels to In Harihar Nagar). He also directed its Tamil remake, Engal Anna. Innocent No More: All You Need to Know About the Malayalam Actor Who was AMMA President, Ex-Rajya Sabha MP and Two-Time Cancer Survivor.

The 2010 film, Bodyguard, starring Dileep and Nayantara, was a game-changer for the director. Not only was the film a major hit, but Siddique also directed its remakes in Tamil and Hindi, and they were major hits there as well. The Tamil remake, Kaavalan, starred Thalapathy Vijay and Asin, while the Hindi remake, Body Guard, had Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor in the lead. What's interesting was Siddique crafted the tone of each film as per the strengths of his leading stars.

A Song From the Hindi Bodyguard:

However, since Bodyguard, Siddique faced a slump when it came to the quality of his movies. While Bhaskar the Rascal was a hit, movies like Ladies and Gentleman, Fukri and Big Brother didn't work at the box office. Big Brother, starring Mohanlal in the lead, was also the last film directed by Siddique.

Talking about his personal life, the director was married to Sajitha. They have three daughters together. His loss is something that is not going be felt just by his loved ones, but also millions of Malayali families. Rest in peace, Siddique ikka!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 08, 2023 10:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).