The Kerala film industry plunged into sadness when the news came of ailing popular film director and scriptwriter K.R. Sachidanandan passing away at a hospital in Thrissur on Thursday night, film industry sources said.

Popularly known as Sachy, the 48-year-old was recovering from a hip surgery when he suffered a cardiac arrest on Tuesday. He was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of a leading hospital in Thrissur.