Siddique (Director)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Siddique

• Siddique (1960-2023) was an Indian director, producer, scriptwriter, and actor who predominantly worked in the Malayalam film industry, also known as Mollywood. Some of his notable directorial works include ‘Ramji Rao Speaking’ (1989), ‘Chronic Bachelor’ (2003), ‘Bhaskar the Rascal’ (2015), and ‘Big Brother’ (2020).

• He belonged to a Muslim family.

• Siddique married his first cousin Sajitha at the auditorium of Darul Uloom VHSS Ernakulam, Kerala. While talking about her first memory of Siddique, in an interview, Sajitha shared that when she was five, Siddique was entrusted to take her to the same school on her first day. She fondly remembered how he carried her on the rod of his Hercules cycle with her satchel on the back as they headed to school. ^[3]The New Indian Express

• He began his acting career as a mimicry artist at a centre for learning performing arts, Cochin Kalabhavan, in Kochi, where he worked alongside Lal, an Indian filmmaker.
  

  

  They were later spotted by filmmaker Fazil while performing at the Kalabhavan, and he subsequently hired them as assistant directors. Siddique and Lal soon teamed up and became a filmmaking duo called ‘Siddique-Lal.’ After collaborating on several films, they split; Siddique pursued directing, while Lal focused on acting and producing.

• Siddique worked as a clerk at Darul Uloom VHSS Ernakulam, Kerala, as well before pursuing a career in direction.

• In an interview, Sajitha described how his passion for cinema led him to leave his clerk job to work with filmmaker Fazil just four months after they wed. Sajitha, who was sixteen years old, lived for three months without any communication with Siddique. When he returned, Sajitha informed him about her pregnancy, but when she was in labour at City Hospital, Siddique opted to watch a movie with friends instead of being by her side during the delivery. ^[4]The New Indian Express

• Siddique-Lal contributed various hits to Malayalam cinema including the comedy-thriller film ‘Ramji Rao Speaking’ (1989), ‘Vietnam Colony’ (1992), and ‘Kabooliwala’ (1994).

• Siddique directed many Malayalam films individually such as ‘Chronic Bachelor’ (2003), ‘Bodyguard’ (2010), ‘Bhaskar the Rascal’ (2015), and ‘Big Brother’ (2020); he worked as a scriptwriter and story writer as well for these films.

• He worked as a director and writer in the Tamil film industry also, contributing to films like ‘Kaavalan’ (2011), ‘Sadhu Miranda’ (2008), and ‘Bhaskar Oru Rascal’ (2018).

  

• In 2011, Siddique directed a Telugu film titled ‘Maaro,’ which was also written by him.

  

• In the same year, he directed a romantic action film titled ‘Bodyguard,’ starring Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor as protagonists; the film was the remake of Siddique’s 2010 Malayalam film of the same title.

• Siddique Ismail made cameo appearances in some Malayalam and Tamil films. He appeared in Malayalam films including ‘Nokkethadhoorathu Kannum Nattu’ (1984), ‘Poovinu Puthiya Poonthennal’ (1986), ‘Manathe Kottaram’ (1994), ‘Gulumaal: The Escape’ (2009), ‘Masterpiece’ (2017), and ‘Innale Vare’ (2022).

• Siddique co-produced Malayalam films ‘Fukri’ (2017) and ‘Big Brother’ (2020).

• In 2011, he directed the film ‘Kaavalan,’ which was also written by him. Siddique worked as a writer and director for many other Tamil films including ‘Sadhu Miranda’ (2008) and ‘Bhaskar Oru Rascal’ (2018).

• In an interview, Sajitha spoke highly of Siddique’s calm behaviour. She said that he never scolded her or their children, and he used to remain friendly even with those who had annoyed him. ^[5]The New Indian Express

• On 8 August 2023, Siddique died of cardiac arrest at Amrita Hospital in Kochi, where he had been receiving treatment for liver-related issues for more than a month. ^[6]The Hindu