Renowned filmmaker and Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner Kasinadhuni Viswanath died at the age of 92 around midnight on Thursday. He breathed his last in a private hospital here. The filmmaker had not been well for some time and suffered from age-related problems, according to the PTI news agency.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao expressed his condolences on Viswanath’s death, according to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office. “Viswanath was a distinguished film director who took an ordinary story and turned it into a classic movie on the big screen with his incredible talent.”
In a post on Twitter, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed his grief over the death of the filmmaker.
“Vishwanath is a mirror of Telugu culture and Indian arts. The films under his direction have brought unparalleled respect to the Telugu film industry. He will forever remain in the hearts of Telugu as an artist,” he said.
Learn more about filmmaker K Viswanath
Popularly known as ‘Kalatapasvi’, Viswanath was born in February 1930 in Andhra Pradesh. A leading name not only in Telugu cinema but also in Tamil and Hindi films, he became the 48th recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest accolade in Indian cinema. He was conferred the award of the year 2016.
Viswanath, who started his journey as a sound artist, directed award-winning films like “Sankarabharanam”, “Sagara Sangamam”, “Swati Mutyam”, “Saptapadi”, “Kaamchor”, “Sanjog” and “Jaag Utha Insaan” in his long career spanning included an equally successful stage in front of the camera.
His other honors include Padma Shri in 1992, five National Awards, 20 Nandi Awards (given by the Andhra Pradesh Government) and 10 Filmfare Trophies including the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Viswanath, who has made 50 films since 1965, was a celebrated filmmaker in the Telugu film industry. He had also been active in Tamil and Hindi cinema.
He made his directorial debut with “Aatma Gowravam” starring Akkineni Nageswara Rao and won the Nandi Award for Best Feature Film.
The filmmaker followed up with “Chelleli Kapuram”, “O Seeta Katha”, “Jeevana Jyoti” and “Sarada”.
Viswanath also dabbled in lead acting, working in movies like “Swarabhishekam” (which he also directed), “Pandurangadu”, “Narasimha Naidu”, “Lakshmi Narasimha” and “Seemasimham”, “Kuruthipunal”, “Kakkai Siraginilae” and “Bagavati”. “, among others.