Indian National Award-winning director Nishikant Kamat, the director of ‘Drishyam’ and ‘Force’, died on August 17 afternoon, confirmed Riteish Deshmukh who had earlier refuted rumours about his death.
He was 50 and was on ventilator support due to a liver ailment.
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Deshmukh took to Twitter to confirm the director's passing.
Earlier in the day, there were reports that Kamat had died but director Milap Zaveri and Deshmukh tweeted that the director was still struggling to stay alive and that the reports were incorrect. Deshmukh also implored news outlets to correct the erroneous news.
"Just spoke to someone who is with Nishikant in the hospital right now. He hasn't passed away yet. Yes, he's v critical and fighting life and death. But he is still alive," tweeted Zaveri.
Following Kamat's death, actress Soha Ali Khan paid tribute to the director in a social media post, saying she worked with him on his first Hindi film, 'Mumbai Meri Jaan'.
According to reports on News 18, he was admitted to a private hospital in Hyderabad due to a chronic liver disease.
In a statement by the hospital authorities, the director was suffering from jaundice and abdominal distension, complications rising from his liver condition. The hospital described his condition as critical, but stable.
Earlier, there were premature reports that Kamat had died.
At that time, talents including Renuka Shahane and Mukesh Chhabra took to Twitter to express their anguish.
“RIP my friend Nishikant Kamat. I will cherish the wonderful times we shared. What a talented filmmaker you were. I am writing ‘were’ with a heavy heart. This is not age to pass away,” said Shahane.
Kamat made his directorial debut with Marathi film ‘Dombivali Fast’ in 2005.
He gained glory and recognition in Bollywood when he directed the Hindi adaptation of ‘Drishyam’, a Malayalam thriller starring Mohanlal.
He has also worked with late actor Irrfan Khan in ‘Madaari’.
