KOCHI: The untimely demise of businessman C J Roy on Friday has come as a big shock to the Kerala public. He was the chairman of realty firm Confident Group and a film producer.
His death, at the age of 57 by suicide, comes just ahead of the release of his latest co-produced film, Anomie: The Equation of Death, which stars Bhavana in a lead role.
“Roy was an active member of the Kerala Film Producers’ Association and a successful producer. The shooting of his recent film, Bangalore High, concluded only a few days ago,” said B Rakesh, the association president.
Roy had been active in the industry for over a decade. The films he co-produced include Mohanlal-starrers Casanovva (2012) and Ladies and Gentleman (2013), Suresh Gopi’s Mei Hoom Moosa (2022), and Identity (2025), which stars Tovino Thomas.
He has also partnered with Antony Perumbavoor for the film Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea (2021), directed by Priyadarshan.
“His demise is a big shock to the people in the film industry,” Rakesh added.
Meanwhile, fellow realty developer, Paul Raj of Alfa Ventures developers, said, “Roy and I have met several times, and on all of those occasions, he was ready and willing to share his insights about the industry and how best to augment it. He was a strong businessman. What transpired today is very unfortunate.”
Edward George P, president of CREDAI, the apex body of private real estate developers in India, echoed a similar view. “While I don’t know Roy personally, his work spoke for him. Confident Group was always known to do their project in a time-bound manner. Their works, the footprints of which you will find all over Kochi, are not high-fi. But going by their customer satisfaction, they were good works,”
Roy had a good standing in the industry, Edward highlighted. “He, and by extension, his company, were not part of CREDAI. But Confident Group was, no doubt, a responsible developer,” he added.
Chipping in, Paul said, “Confident Group chose to stay on their own and not be part of CREDAI, because they were good and had conviction in their own strength, a part of which was derived from Roy himself, his vision.” His passing is a big shock to those in the real estate industry, he added.