Written by Anusree K CNovember 10, 2025 07:46 AM IST 2 min readDr Shyamalan (left) authored North Africa to North Malabar: An Ancestral Journey, exploring the probable origins of the Thiyya community of North Malabar, to which he belonged. (Instagram)Dr Nelliat Curundadath Shyamalan, a cardiologist and father of acclaimed Hollywood filmmaker M Night Shyamalan, passed away on November 4 in the United States. He was 88. His funeral was held on November 7 in Pennsylvania.Born in Mahe, Pondicherry, Shyamalan spent his childhood in Singapore and Malaya, where his father managed a rubber estate. After his father’s death in 1946, he returned to Mahe. He studied at Brennan College, Thalassery, and graduated in medicine from JIPMER, Pondicherry, before moving to the US for higher studies.Dr Shyamalan authored North Africa to North Malabar: An Ancestral Journey, exploring the probable origins of the Thiyya community of North Malabar, to which he belonged. He also played a cameo role as a producer in his son’s debut feature film, Praying with Anger (1992).He is survived by his wife, Dr Jaya Lakshmi; daughter, Veena Loftus; son, M Night Shyamalan; and his siblings, Venugopal and Daya Jayaram.Announcing his father’s death on Instagram, M Night Shyamalan wrote: “My dear dear father has passed. The amount of loss we are feeling is immense… Thank you for supporting me and allowing all my dreams to come true… I will try to live up to his example of kindness, optimism and joy.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by M. Night Shyamalan (@mnight)M. Night Shyamalan is regarded as one of the most influential filmmakers in contemporary Hollywood, known for films such as The Sixth Sense (1999), Unbreakable (2000), Signs (2002), and Split (2016). He recently directed Trap (2024).Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:death