Ace cameraman and director Jeeva passed away in St.Petersberg, Russia, following cardiac arrest on Tuesday morning at 7.30 a.m. (Indian Standard Time). He was 44.
Director Jeeva was shooting for a Tamil film “Dham Dhoom” with ‘Jayem’ Ravi as the hero, Kangana Ranaut, Laxmi Rai and other artists. His body is expected to be flown to the city on Thursday.
An acclaimed cinematographer-turned-director, Jeeva had worked in over 40 films starting with Malayalam films. He was the cameraman for director Shankar’s “Gentleman”, “Kadhalan” and “Indian.”
Jeeva ventured into Bollywood and cranked the camera for several blockbusters, including films directed by Priyadarshan. Some of his Hindi movies include “Hulchul,” “Yeh Tera Ghar Yeh Mera Ghar,” “Run,” “Kushi,” “Hera Pheri” among others. A native of Thiruthooraipoondi, Jeeva ventured into direction with “12B” in which he introduced Sham as the hero. The film featured Jyothika and Simran. Jeeva’s next film was “Ullam Ketkumae” with a cast of now-popular stars like Arya, Asin and Pooja. Jeeva followed it up with “Unnale Unnale,” where he introduced a Bangalore model Vinay in the lead role. “Unnale Unnale” was a run away hit and is still running in theatres. Jeeva was currently engaged in directing “Dhaam Dhoom.”
He is survived by his wife Annesha, the costume designer of Jeeva’s films, and two children.
