Malayalam writer- director KR Sachidanandan, popularly known as Sachy, has been hospitalised in Thrissur after he sustained a cardiac arrest.

The 48-year-old is being treated in the critical care unit of Thrissur’s Jubilee Mission Hospital where he was admitted on Tuesday.

The director’s medical report states that he was brought in on Tuesday morning, a few hours after undergoing a total hip replacement surgery in another hospital in Thrissur. Following the surgery, he is reported to have developed complications and then shifted to Jubilee Mission Hospital.

“He is being treated using mechanical ventilation and other supportive measures. A multi-disciplinary team is involved in his care. He is presently neurologically obtunded and his CT scan indicates hypoxic brain damage,” his medical report reads. The hospital has also stated that his condition can only be prognosed after 48-72 hours of observation.

“His condition is critical. He was brought to the hospital after having a cardiac arrest and that has cut off blood supply to his brain. His brain has suffered some damage as a result,” official sources in the hospital told TNM.

Sachy made his debut in the Malayalam film industry as a writer by collaborating with Sethunath. Their first film, Chocolate, starring Prithviraj, Jayasurya, Remya Nambeessan and others, was a hit. They also worked together on films like Robin Hood, Make Up Man and Seniors. However, after the failure of Doubles, they stopped working together.

Sachy's first directorial was Anarkali in 2015. However, with his recent release Ayyappanum Koshiyum, Sachy shot into the big league. The film, which is an ego battle between two men, played by Prithviraj and Biju Menon, became a blockbuster and is being remade in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. Sachy is also the writer of another recent super hit Driving License.