Telugu Director B Jaya dies at 54

Telugu director B Jaya passed away in Hyderabad following a heart ailment on Thursday. Jaya was 54 and is survived by her husband BA Raju, a popular journalist.

One of the few women filmmakers to make a mark in the Telugu industry, Jaya breathed her last at 9.20 pm on Thursday in a private hospital in Gachibowli, her relatives told media.

The renowned journalist-turned-filmmaker who has been suffering from a prolonged illness, died due to a cardiac arrest.

Jaya started off her career as a journalist and was also a director. In Telugu, she was one of the very few women directors who made a mark in the male-dominated industry.

She made her directorial debut with Chantigadu in 2003 with Baladitya and Suhasini. She was known to be a thinking filmmaker and went on to churn out sensible films.

Gundammagari Manavadu, Premikulu, Saval and Lovely are the other films to her credit.