Legendary film director K Viswanath, who helmed Telugu classic Sankarabharanam, passed away due to age-related illness on Thursday night at Apollo Hospitals in Hyderabad. He was 92. Viswanath, who was unwell for the last few days, is survived by two sons and a daughter.
Born on February 19, 1930, at Pedapulivarru in Guntur district, he debuted as a director in 1965 with Aatma Gowravam. He went on to direct more than 50 movies. He also acted in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada films.
Fondly called Kalatapasvi, the veteran filmmaker received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2016 and was conferred the Padma Shri in 1992. He won 10 Filmfare Awards, five National Awards and five Nandi Awards, to name a few. His last film was Shubapradam in 2010.
In a career spanning nearly 6 decades, he directed 53 films. His feature film debut with Aatma Gowravam in 1965, fetched him Nandi Awards for Best Debut Director and Best Feature Film (Bronze).
The filmmaker quickly went on to make critically acclaimed films like Chelleli Kapuram (1971), Kalam Marindi (1972), Sarada (1973), O Seeta Katha (1974) and Jeevana Jyothi (1975). His most iconic directorial work came in the form of Sankarabharanam in 1979 and the musical drama is widely regarded as one of the greatest artistic works ever produced by Telugu cinema.
In a filmography suffused with numerous acclaimed works, films like Sagara Sangamam (1983), Subhalekha (1982), Swathi Muthyam (1985), Swarnakamalam (1988) and Aapadbandhavudu (1992) stand out. His films propagated the importance of moral values and familial bonds, and have always steered clear of vulgarity. His last directorial, Subhapradam, was released in 2010.
K Viswanath also directed films in Hindi (Sangeet, Dhanwaan, Sanjog, Shub Kaamna). As an actor too, he made his presence felt in numerous films beginning with Subha Sankalpam in 1995. Some of his most popular roles, across Tamil and Telugu, came in Kuruthipunal (1995), Narasimha Naidu (2001), Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule (2007) and Uttama Villain (2015), to name a few.
