Noted filmmaker Siddique on ECMO support

KOCHI: Filmmaker Siddique, who had been undergoing treatment at Amrita Hospital for three weeks, suffered a heart attack on Sunday and is in a critical condition, hospital officials said on Monday.

The 64-year-old, who started as a mimicry artist in the 1980s through Kochi-based Kalabhavan troupe before directing several blockbusters largely in Malayalam but also in Tamil and Hindi, is surviving with the support of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

“He was admitted on July 10 following non-alcoholic liver cirrhosis. He suffered a heart attack on Sunday. He was suffering from liver failure too, and was recommended liver transplant,” the sources said.

Among the many famous films Siddique has directed are Ramji Rao Speaking, Hitler, Vietnam Colony and Bodyguard, which was later shot in Tamil and Hindi .

Many of Siddique's films were co-directed with Lal, who went on to find fame as an actor and producer after their split.