Dadasaheb Phalke awardee and renowned filmmaker Kasinadhuni Vishwanath passed away at a private hospital in Hyderabad. He was 92 years old. Sources said Vishwanath was unwell for some time and was suffering from age-related problems. He died in the hospital around midnight on Thursday.
Popularly known as ‘Kalatapasvi’, Vishwanath was born in February 1930 in Andhra Pradesh. A prominent 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 recognition in Indian cinema. He was awarded the award for the year 2016.
A release from the Chief Minister’s Office said that Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has condoled the death of Vishwanath.
Mammootty tweeted, “Deeply saddened by the passing away of Sri K Vishwanath Garu. Had the privilege of being directed by him in Swathikiranam. My thoughts and prayers with his loved ones.”
Vishwanath, who started his journey as a sound artist, directed award-winning films like ‘Shankarabharanam’, ‘Sagar Sangamam’, ‘Swathi Mutyam’, ‘Saptapadi’, ‘Kaamchor’, ‘Sanjog’ and ‘Jaag Utha Insaan’. . His long career which included an equally successful stint in front of the camera.
His other honors include the 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.
Vishwanath, who made 50 films since 1965, was a noted filmmaker in the Telugu film industry. He was also active in Tamil and Hindi cinema. He made his directorial debut with “Aatma Govaram”, starring Akkineni Nageswara Rao and won the Nandi Award for Best Feature Film. The filmmaker then worked with Chelli Kapooram, O Sita Katha, Jeevan Jyoti and Sharda.
Vishwanath gained popularity in the mainstream by working in films such as “Swarabhishekam” (which he also directed), “Pandurangadu”, “Narasimha Naidu”, “Lakshmi Narasimha” and “Seemasimha”, “Kuruthipunal”, “Kakkai Sirginile” and also ventured into acting. Bhagwati”, among others.
(With PTI inputs)