Director-screenwriter Sangeeth Sivan, 65, passes away

RENOWNED director and screenwriter Sangeeth Sivan passed away on Wednesday at the age of 65 while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Mumbai.

He leaves behind a rich legacy of impactful movies in both the Malayalam and Hindi film industries. 

Born into a family deeply entrenched in cinema, Sangeeth Sivan was the eldest son of filmmaker Sivan. He shared his storytelling passion with his brothers, Santosh Sivan and Sanjeev Sivan, all of whom have made indelible marks in the cinematic world.

Sangeeth Sivan's filmmaking journey commenced under the mentorship of Basu Bhattacharya, who identified his talent and appointed him as the executive producer of the iconic film "Raakh," marking his directorial debut. It wasn't long before Sangeeth Sivan ventured into directing himself, leaving a lasting impression with the critically acclaimed Malayalam film "Vyooham."

However, it was the 1992 blockbuster "Yodha" that catapulted him into the limelight, not only garnering praise but also cementing his status as a leading director in the Malayalam film industry. He collaborated with legendary actors such as Mohanlal in films like "Gandharvam" and "Nirnayam."

In his Bollywood endeavours, Sangeeth Sivan directed "Zor," featuring Sunny Deol, and subsequently worked on projects like "Sandhya" and "Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne."

While not all his Bollywood ventures achieved commercial success, he bounced back with the comedy "Yamla Pagla Deewana 2," starring the Deol family, showcasing his versatility as a filmmaker.

The News Minute adds:

Growing up in a house full of cameras in Kerala, Sangeeth and his two brothers – Santosh and Sanjeev – picked up the camera early on in life and were drawn to the world of cinema that their father [the late] Sivan, another veteran in photography, had excelled in.

Sangeeth took to filmmaking when he turned 30, making a critically acclaimed Malayalam film called Vyooham in 1990 with the late Tamil actor Raghuvaran and Urvashi playing the lead.

Sangeeth is, however, most known for the 1992 film Yoddha, starring Mohanlal as Ashokan, which became a cult movie of sorts with its unusual storyline about a gifted prodigy in Nepal that Ashokan rescues.

The film stood the test of time for many reasons — for the rib-tickling comedy in the exchanges between the characters of Mohanlal and Jagathy Sreekumar, its cinematography by Santosh Sivan, and most of all its music by AR Rahman.

It was the same year that Rahman made his film music debut in Tamil with Roja. The songs, including ‘Kunu Kune’ and ‘Padakali’, became instant hits.

Sangeeth made two more popular films with Mohanlal in the next few years — Gandharvam, a romantic thriller, and Nirnayam, a crime thriller, both infused with humour.

He, like his father Sivan, appeared to have a taste for making films with child characters in the lead. Nirnayam featured child actor Shamili in a prominent role alongside Mohanlal.

He also made two children’s films during this period, including Daddy that brought Aravind Swamy to Malayalam, and Johnny that won the State Award for Best Children's Film.

After his film Snehapoorvam Anna, Sangeeth took a break from Malayalam cinema, migrating to Bollywood, where he had already made his mark in 1998 with the film Zor (starring Sunny Deol and Sushmita Sen).

In the 2000s, he made comedies like Kyaa Kool Hain Hum and Apna Sapna Money Money, as well as thrillers like Ek – The Power of One and Click.

He made a comeback in Malayalam in 2012 with Idiots, a romantic comedy featuring Asif Ali and Sanusha. In 2017, he produced his last Malayalam film, a horror flick called E.

The Hindi television series Bhram of 2019, starring Kalki Koechlin, is Sangeeth's last as a director.