Rishab Shetty's Kantara Chapter 1 unit suffers another loss; actor Kalabhavan Niju dies of heart attack

Hindustan Times

14-06-2025

The unit of Rishab Shetty's Kantara: Chapter 1 has suffered another loss with the death of actor-mimicry artist Kalabhavan Niju. The actor who hails from Kerala died due to a heart attack, as per an OnManorama report. This is the third such death the film's unit has seen since they began shooting. (Also Read: Kantara Chapter 1 postponed? Makers of Rishab Shetty-starrer break silence)
The report states that Niju died on Thursday night in Bengaluru, where he was shooting for Kantara: Chapter 1. The 43-year-old complained of chest pain at the homestay arranged for the film's artistes and was rushed to the hospital. Unfortunately, he did not make it. Niju, who was most recently seen in Marco, reportedly auditioned to land the role in Rishab's film. Mimicry artist Kannan Sagar confirmed the death and said he was alerted about it at 10:30 PM on Thursday in a shared WhatsApp group.
Unfortunately, this is not the first death the unit of Kantara: Chapter 1 has seen lately. In May this year, Kannada actor-comedian Rakesh Poojary died of a cardiac arrest at a friend's wedding at age 33. Before that, in the same month, a 32-year-old junior artiste called MF Kapil from Kerala was caught in the cross current at Souparnika river and died. In November last year, a minibus carrying 20 junior artistes met with an accident in Mudoor, and they luckily escaped unscathed. Before that, an expensive set designed for Kantara: Chapter 1 was destroyed by heavy rain.
Kantara: Chapter 1 is a prequel to Rishab Shetty's 2022 hit Kantara. The film is produced by Hombale Films, which recently made the KGF and Salaar films. Rishab will play the lead role again in the film that is scheduled for release on 2 October this year.