Ace film director Sasikumar dead

Kochi: Ace director Sasikumar, referred to as the first "hitmaker" of the Malayalam film industry, passed away Thursday at a private hospital here, his family members said. He was 86.Sasikumar, who was born N. Varkey John, was suffering from age-related illnesses.

His first film "Kudumbini" came in 1964 and his last film was "Dollar" in 1993. During the nearly three decades, he paved his way into record books by becoming the director who made a maximum number of 141 films. Another record that he has is, that he cast, Prem Nazir, the legendary evergreen hero of the Malayalam film industry, in 84 films. In 1977, Sasikumar directed a staggering 15 Malayalam films. Incidentally, he has directed a huge number of stars starting from Sathyan, Prem Nazir, Madhu, Jayan, Kamal Hassan, Sukumaran, Soman Mammootty and Mohanlal. His popular films include "Sethu Bandhanam", "Thuruppu Gulam", "Saghakkale Munottu", "Attakkalasam" and "Ethikkara Pakki", to name a few. The Kerala State Government honoured him last year by conferring the coveted J. C. Daniel Award for his contribution to Malayalam cinema.