Overview
- Private hospital authorities in Kochi confirmed that Shaji Kumar died of cardiac failure on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.
- He fell ill while in Alappuzha for a location shoot on a film featuring actor Dileep, was taken to a nearby hospital and later shifted to a private hospital in Kochi, and reports differ on when his condition again worsened.
- His body will be kept for public viewing at the Ernakulam Gokulam Convention Centre from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and funeral rites are planned at his home in Perumbavoor at 7 p.m.
- Kumar had a more than two-decade career across nearly 50 films and was known for large-scale action cinematography in titles such as Pulimurugan, Naran and Odiyan; he was credited on forthcoming projects including Athimanoharam and Ottakomban.
- He is survived by his wife, Smitha, and sons Aryan and Sooryan, and colleagues from the Film Employees Federation of Kerala and the wider Malayalam film fraternity have expressed condolences as productions now assess how to proceed.