Malayalam indpendent filmmaker Nayana Sooryan was found dead in her apartment in Althara, Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday evening. The filmmaker’s death occurred 40 days after the death of her mentor, another leading light in Kerala’s parallel cinema, Lenin Rajendran, on 14 January.
According to The Newsminute.com, Nayana was in mourning and had been upset at the demise of Lenin Rajendran. NDTV.com stated that the cause of death will only be ascertained after an autopsy.
Reports suggest that Nayana’s family had been unable to reach out to her, and sent out a message to her friends. When no answer came on repeated knocks on the door, neighbours used a spare key to enter the apartment, where she was discovered dead.
The filmmaker made her entry into Kerala film industry as an associate director under several filmmakers like Jeethu Joseph, Kamal, Dr Biju and the late Lenin Rajendran.
She made her debut as an indpendent director with the anthology, Crossroad (2017). Nayana had directed the segment Pakshikalude Maanam, featuring Mythili and Vijay Babu.