THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled the death of hitmaker director Siddique. In his condolence message, CM labeled Siddique as a rare talent who had an unconventional start as a mimicry artist but rose up to become one of Malayalam's best film directors. CM said Siddique's loss was irreplaceable.

“ Siddique was an excellent director who adopted serious daily life quibbles and laced them with humor in his inimitable style. His collaboration with Lal and the movies they made are part of Malayali's daily life culture as some catchy dialogues are now part of Malayali's daily parlance. His films like 'Ramji Rao Speaking', 'In Harihar Nagar', and 'Godfather' were acceptable to different generations. Siddique was also able to make waves in the Tamil and Hindi film industries. Condolences to his family and colleagues.” CM wrote on FB.

Siddique’s mortal remains will be kept in Kadvanthra indoor stadium for public viewing at 9 am on Wednesday where people can offer tribute to the legendary director. The burial will be held in Ernakulam central Juma masjid. It was on Monday evening that Siddique suffered a heart attack and was rushed to Amrita Hospital in Kochi.