South Filmmaker Rajesh Pillai (41) breathed his last in Kochi at a private hospital on Saturday, a reliable source close to him said.
"He passed away around 11.40 am at PVS Hospital," a reliable source close to the director told media.
He was hospitalised several times in the last few months.
"He was on life support since yesterday. He had been suffering from liver cirrhosis, and was due for a liver transplant, which he had postponed to complete his latest film Vettah, which was released in cinemas on Friday," the source added.
During the final sound mixing for Vettah, he had also contracted pneumonia and that worsened his health condition.
Rajesh had directed five films in his career.
He made his directorial debut with Hridayathil Sookshikkan (2005), but it was his next film Traffic, which came out in 2011, that took his popularity to a new high.
Pillai then directed yet another popular film Mili, which was released in 2015, and then remade Traffic in Hindi last year.
