Filmmaker Ismail Merchant, half of the famed Merchant-Ivory Productions duo, died of a heart attack in London Wednesday, according to media reports.

Merchant, 67, had undergone a minor surgery shortly before his death, NDTV channel reported late Wednesday.

It was the second major blow for India's entertainment industry in a single day, with film star-turned-politician Sunil Dutt also passing away due to a heart attack earlier Wednesday in Mumbai.

Mumbai-born Merchant, along with his American partner James Ivory, was responsible for a series of high-class independent films since the 1960s, including "Mystic Masseur", "Jefferson In Paris", "Remains Of The Day", "Room With A View" and "Shakespeare Wallah".

Many of the films were nominated for and won the Oscars.