Kasinadhuni Viswanath passed away at the age of 92 due to age-related health problems. He was receiving treatment at a private hospital in Hyderabad, where his funeral rites are to be held. SS Rajamouli and MM Keeravani, the director and composer of the movie “RRR,” respectively, arrived together to say farewell to the late director. Actors Chiranjeevi, Pawan Kalyan, and Venkatesh Daggubati were also present, offering their prayers and paying their last respects to the late recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke award.
On Friday, several prominent figures from the Tamil and Telugu film industries gathered in Hyderabad to pay their final respects to the renowned filmmaker K Viswanath. People such as filmmaker SS Rajamouli, music director MM Keeravani, and actors Chiranjeevi, and Pawan Kalyan were among those who came to offer their last tribute. Note: K Viswanath, a veteran Telugu filmmaker, has passed away, and several people including Chiranjeevi, Kamal Haasan, and Radikaa have paid tribute to him, calling him a “man of timeless films.”
K Viswanath began his career as an audiographer and then worked as a sound engineer for a short period of time. He started his filmmaking journey under director Adurthi Subba Rao and later worked as an assistant director for the Telugu film “Pathala Bhairavi” in 1951. He made his directorial debut with the 1965 film “Aatma Gowravam,” which earned him the state Nandi award.
K Viswanath is remembered for his iconic directorials like “Chelleli Kapuram,” “O Seeta Katha,” “Jeevana Jyoti,” and “Sarada.” He also had a multi-talented career as he not only directed, but also acted in films such as “Swarabhishekam,” “Pandurangadu,” “Narasimha Naidu,” “Lakshmi Narasimha,” “Seemasimham,” “Kuruthipunal,” “Kakkai Siraginilae,” and “Bagavathi.” He made his Bollywood debut with the 1979 film “Sargam,” which was a remake of his 1976 film “Siri Siri Muvva.” Some of his popular Hindi films include “Kaamchor,” “Shubh Kaamna,” “Jaag Utha Insan,” “Sanjog,” “Eeshwar,” and “Dhanwaan.”
Viswanath was honored with the Padma Shri award in 1992 and the Dada Saheb Phalke award in 2017, among many other film awards he received during his four-decade long career.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on the death of the filmmaker and referred to him as a “stalwart of cinema.” He tweeted on Friday, “Saddened by the passing away of Shri K. Viswanath Garu. He was a stalwart of the cinema world, distinguishing himself as a creative and multi-faceted director. His films entertained and captivated audiences for many decades. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti.”
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