Kalabhavan Niju Dies of Heart Attack on Kantara Chapter 1 Set in a Tragic Incident

The upcoming film 'Kantara: Chapter 1,' directed by Rishab Shetty, has suffered a tragic loss with the death of Kalabhavan Niju, a popular mimicry artist and actor, who passed away from a heart attack at age 43 during the film's shoot in Bengaluru

Niju experienced severe chest pain at a cast home-stay and was quickly rushed to the hospital, but he was pronounced dead upon arrival His death was confirmed by mimicry artist Kannan Sagar through a WhatsApp group.

This marks the third tragic incident linked to the film's production Previously, actor-comedian Rakesh Pujari died of a heart attack, and junior artist M.F. Kapil drowned in Kerala's Sowparnika river. A bus accident involving 20 junior artists occurred but resulted in no injuries.

The film's production has also faced setbacks due to a lavish set being destroyed by heavy rain, causing further delays

'Kantara: Chapter 1' is a prequel to the 2022 blockbuster 'Kantara' and is planned for release in multiple languages, including Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, and Malayalam

The storyline of the film is currently being kept confidential, and the filmmakers are maintaining high secrecy around the cast and production details

The film is in its third shooting schedule, with half of the shoot already completed, and the team is aiming for a grand worldwide release on October 2, 2025

Despite the tragic incidents, the production team remains committed to delivering the film, which is generating significant anticipation among audiences