'Yamla Pagla Deewana 2' director Sangeeth Sivan dies at 61; Sunny Deol, Suniel Shetty pay tribute

Sangeeth Sivan with Bobby Deol Pic/Instagram

Renowned Malayalam filmmaker and screenwriter Sangeeth Sivan passed away. He was 61. The legendary director reportedly died after undergoing treatment following his health deteriorated at a Mumbai hospital. Known for directing the 1992 film 'Yodha', he was the eldest son of filmmaker Sivan who passed away in April 2023.

Sangeeth's brother Santosh Sivan is an acclaimed cinematographer and filmmaker. His youngest brother Sanjeev is also a proven film personality. Sangeeth started his career with Basu Bhattacharya, who roped in the late filmmaker to serve as the executive producer of his son's directorial debut 'Raakh' which featured Aamir Khan and Pankaj Kapur.

Reacting to his demise, actors Sunny Deol, Suniel Shetty, and others paid heartfelt tribute on social media.

Sangeeth marked his directorial debut with the Malayalam film Vyooham - a crime film starring Raghuvaran, Sukumaran, Captain Raju, Babu Antony, Urvashi, Rajan P. Dev and Parvathy Jayaram.

However, it was 'Yodha' which got him into the spotlight. The fantasy action film featured Mohanlal in the lead. He played the role of Thaiparambil Ashokan, the saviour destined to rescue the Rimpoche of a Nepalese Buddhist monastery from sorcerers practicing black magic. He collaborated with the superstar for films like ‘Gandharvam' and ‘Nirnayam'.

After securing his hold down south, Sangeeth ventured into Bollywood and made the 1998 film 'Zor' starring Sunny Deol, Sushmita Sen, Milind Gunaji and Om Puri. The film however tanked at the box office.

After a brief gap, he returned to Bollywood and delivered films like 'Kyaa Kool Hai Hum', ' Apna Sapna Money Money', and 'Yamla Pagla Deewana 2' to name a few.

Sangeeth was working on the horror comedy ‘Kapkapiii' starring Shreyas Talpade and Tusshar Kapoor.

Sharing his experience of working with Tusshar and Sangeeth, Shreyas told IANS: "Reuniting with Tushar and Sangeeth is the best thing because the rapport and comfort that I share with both of them is phenomenal. It's like you are working with two of your brothers. I also feel there's a certain level of maturity that comes to your performance after years of experience. That seems to have happened with both me and Tusshar. Sangeeth has the skill to understand our strengths and utilise them to the fullest."

The film also stars Sonia Rathee, Siddhi Idnani, Jay Thakkar, Varun Pandey, Dherendra Tiwari, Dinkar Sharma, and Abhishek Kumar.

(With inputs from IANS)