Kantara actor dies while shooting for Rishab Shetty's film in Bengaluru

A tragic incident occurred on the sets of Kantara: Chapter 1, as actor Kalabhavan Niju passed away at the age of 43 on Thursday in Bengaluru. Niju, who was part of the film’s shoot, reportedly experienced chest pain at the homestay arranged for the cast.

He was rushed to a nearby hospital but sadly couldn’t be saved. The cause of death was a heart attack. As per OnManorama, mimicry artist Kannan Sagar confirmed the news. He shared that they were informed about Niju’s passing through a message in the Mimicry Artists Association WhatsApp group around 10:30 pm.

He stated, "Members who knew about his demise were urged to contact a phone number. By 11 pm, someone from the location who knew me sent Niju’s photo and asked me to contact him. By that time, an artist from his native place had already contacted his family."

"Niju's house is located near the Vadanappally police station. "I met Niju on the sets of a comedy reality show. He was a member of the Mimicry Artist Association and had been part of comedy skits. Rest in peace, Niju," he added. 

Rishab Shetty has not yet responded to the heartbreaking news of Kalabhavan Niju’s passing. Sadly, this isn’t the first tragedy to hit the Kantara: Chapter 1 team. In May, a 33-year-old junior artiste, MF Kapil, lost his life after drowning in the Souparnika river near Kollur in Kundapur taluk, Karnataka, while the film was being shot.

Later, the makers of Kantara: Chapter 1 clarified that Kapil’s tragic drowning was not linked to the film’s shoot. They stated, “No filming was scheduled on that day, and the unfortunate event would have occurred during his personal engagement outside the scope of any film-related activity. We sincerely request everyone to refrain from drawing unverified associations with the film or its crew.”