Joseph Manu James, a young filmmaker from Kerala whose first movie was going to come out soon, died at a hospital in Aluva in Ernakulam district on Friday, February 24. He was 31 years old. An employee of the Rajagiri Hospital, where Manu was admitted, said that he had pneumonia.

Manu's debut film Nancy Rani, with actors Ahaana Krishna and Arjun Ashokan in the lead, was expected to release in a matter of days. Ahaana wrote on an Instagram story, "Rest in peace Manu! This shouldn't have happened to you!" She played the title character in Manu’s film, that of a young woman and Mammootty fan who aspires to be a film star but experiences a tragedy when the opportunity comes to her.

Senior actors like Sreenivasan, Lal, Lena, Indrans and Aju Varghese are also part of the film. Aju, in his condolence message, wrote, "Gone too soon brother."

Manu had debuted as an actor when he was a child for the film I am Curious, directed by Sabu James, in 2004. Years later he became a co-director in Malayalam, Kannada and other film industries.

His final rites were held on Sunday, February 26, at a church in Kuravilangad in Kottayam.