Kozhikode (Kerala), March 10 - Doctors attending on Malayalam film comedian Jagathy Sreekumar, who was seriously hurt in a road accident in the wee hours of Saturday, have said the next 48 hours are crucial for him.

K. Varma, who led the surgical team which performed a surgery on the actor's stomach to stop internal bleeding, later told reporters that the operation was successful.

'This is a good indication, but still the next 48 hours are very crucial for him. He has now been put on ventilator,' said Varma.

A team of top medical experts is monitoring the condition of the ace comedian at the private hospital where he is admitted.

'He requires a few more surgeries as he has got multiple injuries and with one now over, the team of doctors will now decide about the other surgeries to be performed,' said another doctor.

Earlier in the day, soon after he was admitted to the hospital, Venugopal, chief of the 10-member panel of doctors treating the ace comedian, said he had suffered multiple injuries.

'He has injuries in the neck, chest, abdomen and, if necessary, he will have to undergo surgery,' said Venugopal.

Jagathy, 62, has acted in more than 1,000 Malayalam films.

Hearing the news of the accident, numerous film personalities have been arriving to find out about Jagathy's condition.

The accident occurred near the Kozhikode University campus around 4.30 a.m. when the Innova car carrying him hit a divider, police said. The driver of the car escaped with minor injuries, while the actor was badly hurt, police said.

Jagathy was on his way from Thrissur to Coorg in Karnataka to join the location of director Lenin Rajendran's latest film.

Due to the accident, more than a dozen films in Malayalam which are under various stages of production will be affected.