Legendary Telugu filmmaker-actor K Viswanath is no more; celebrities mourn the death

Hyderabad, Feb 03: Legendary Telugu filmmaker and actor K Viswanath passed away on Thursday at the age of 92. He was hospitalised over age-related illness at a private hospital in Hyderabad, The Times of India reported.

Who is K Viswanath?
Born on 19 February 1930 in Repalle of Guntur district, he began his career in film industry as a sound recordist at Vauhini Studios in Madras. He then worked as an assistant director in the Telugu-Tamil Film 'Pathala Bhairavi' in 1951. Viswanath made his directorial debut with Telugu film 'Aatma Gowravam' for which he won the Nandi Award for Best Feature Film of the year.

He then went on to deliver many notable movies such as 'Chelleli Kapuram' (1971), 'Sarada' (1973), 'O Seeta Katha' (1974) and 'Jeevana Jyoti' (1975), 'Siri Siri Muvva' (1976), 'Sankarabharanam', etc.

He also ventured into Bollywood and directed many movies that include 'Sargam' (1979), 'Kaamchor' (1982), 'Shubh Kaamna' (1983), 'Jaag Utha Insan' (1984), 'Sur Sangam' (1985) and 'Sanjog' (1985). Apart from film direction, K Viswanath worked as actor in several films like 'Subha Sankalpam', 'Santosham', 'Athadu', 'Tagore', 'Lakshmi Narasimha', 'Singam 2', etc.

In his successful career, he made over 50 movies in different genres and he is credited for making films on the issues of caste, colour, disability, gender discrimination, misogyny, alcoholism and socio-economic challenges through liberal arts medium.

Awards
He bagged five National Film Awards, seven state Nandi Awards, 10 Filmfare Awards South, and a Filmfare Award in Hindi. In 2017, he was conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest award in Indian cinema.

Many celebrities have mourned the death of the legendary filmmaker. Telugu Megastar Chiranjeevi tweeted, "Shocked beyond words! Shri K Viswanath 's loss is an irreplaceable void to Indian / Telugu Cinema and to me personally! Man of numerous iconic, timeless films! The Legend Will Live on! Om Shanti !! 🙏🙏."

"We have lost another gem! What a legend! #KVishwanath gaaru will be remembered forever for his art, his passion and understanding of films. Never got an opportunity to work with him, but been a great admirer of his work. Will be missed. RIP #KVishwanathgaru Om Shanti 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻," Khushbu Sundar wrote.

Actress Anushka Shetty said, "Rest in peace Vishwanath garu ... thank u for everything🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻.. thank u Continue to live in our hearts 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 #RipLegend. [sic]"