Filmmaker Nishikant Kamat died today in Hyderabad from chronic liver disease which resulted in multiple organ failure. He was 50.
Kamat was admitted to the AIG Hospital in the Telangana capital in a critical condition on 11 August with a recurrence of cirrhosis of the liver.
There were reports earlier in the day that Kamat had died in the morning. But the hospital clarified that he hadn't and was still on life support.
Kamat's friend and actor Riteish Deshmukh also called out the news as false.
But a short while back, the hospital and Deshmukh confirmed that Kamat had died. Deshmukh shared a picture in which he is seen embracing Kamat and wrote, "I will miss you my friend. Nishikant Kamat. Rest In peace."
The hospital said in a statement that Kamat had initially shown an improvement after being given antibiotics and other medication, but his condition deteriorated later as he developed liver dysfunction and drowsiness. 'Since yesterday, he developed respiratory failure and hypotension. Despite maximum efforts from the hepatologists, gastroenterologists, pulmonologists and intensivists, his condition deteriorated eventually leading to multiple organ failure,' the statement said.
Kamat had made a sensational debut as director with Dombivali Fast (2005, Marathi), a hard-hitting social drama that announced him as a force to reckon with. The movie also propelled lead actor Sandeep Kulkarni to fame.
Kamat remade Dombivali Fast in Tamil as Evano Oruvan (2007) with R Madhavan playing the lead role. He followed up with his Hindi debut film Mumbai Meri Jaan (2008), which also earned acclaim.
The director then tried his hand at commercial ventures with the John Abraham-starrer Force (2011) and the Riteish Deshmukh-starrer Marathi film Lai Bhaari (2014). He followed up with films like Drishyam (2015, Hindi), a remake of the Malayalam film of the same name, Rocky Handsome (2016), again with John Abraham, and Madaari (2016), starring Irrfan Khan.
Kamat also acted in quite a few films. Some of these were Saatchya Aat Gharat (2004, Marathi), Hava Aaney Dey (2004, Hindi), Mumbai Meri Jaan, Bawra Mann (2011, Hindi), 404: Error Not Found (2011, Hindi), Fugay (2017, Marathi), Daddy (2017, Hindi), Julie 2 (2017, Hindi) and Bhavesh Joshi: Superhero (2018, Hindi).