Rajesh Pillai, Malayalam director, dead at 41

Filmmaker Rajesh Pillai died at a private hospital on Saturday, a source said. He was 41.

“He passed away around 11.40am at PVS Hospital,” the source said.

He was hospitalised several times in the last few months. “He was on life support since yesterday. He had been suffering from liver cirrhosis, and was due for a liver transplant, which he had postponed to complete his latest film Vettah, which released in cinemas on Friday,” the source added.

During the final round of sound mixing for Vettah, he had also contracted pneumonia.

Pillai had directed five films in his career. His films Mili and Traffic, which was later remade into Tamil and Hindi, were critically acclaimed.