Padma Shri Telugu Director Okay Vishwanath Dies at 92, Last Rites Today

Home LeisurePadma Shri Telugu Director Okay Vishwanath Dies at 92, Last Rites Today

Legendary Telugu filmmaker Okay Vishwanath, who additionally acted in some Tamil movies, handed away at 92. Vishwanath breathed his final at Apollo Hospital in Hyderabad late Thursday.

Published: February 3, 2023 11:25 AM IST

By IANS

Padma Shri Telugu Director Okay Vishwanath Dies at 92, Last Rites Today

RIP Okay Vishwanath: Legendary Telugu filmmaker Okay Vishwanath, who additionally acted in some Tamil movies, handed away at 92. Vishwanath breathed his final at Apollo Hospital in Hyderabad late Thursday. He is survived by two sons and a daughter. The Dadasaheb Phalke awardee and five-time nationwide award winner was affected by age-related illnesses. He will likely be cremated on Friday.

Born on February 19, 1930, in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district, he directed over 50 movies. Vishwanath was widespread for iconic movies resembling Sankarabharanam, Sagara Sangamam, Swathi Muthyam, and Swarna Kamalam. He additionally acted in Tamil motion pictures like Yaaradi Nee Mohini, Rajapattai, Lingaa, and Uttama Villain and shared display house with the likes of Kamal Haasan, R. Parthiban, and Ajith.

In 1992, he was awarded the Padma Shri and in 2016 he was conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke award, the very best honour in India for the movie trade. In a profession spanning over 4 many years, he additionally received the Filmfare awards eight instances.

He additionally acted in over two dozen movies throughout Telugu and Tamil industries. Vishwanath started his profession as an audiographer for Vauhini Studios in Madras. He later began his filmmaking profession beneath Adurthi Subba Rao and labored as an assistant director on the 1951 Telugu movie Pathala Bhairavi.

He made his directorial debut with Aatma Gowravam (1965), which went on to bag the state Nandi award for one of the best function movie. Vishwanath grew to become a nationwide phenomenon along with his award-winning basic Telugu movie Sankarabharanam (1980). It proved an enormous hit and remains to be thought-about to be certainly one of his finest works.

Sankarabharanam, which spoke concerning the hole between Carnatic music and Western music primarily based on the angle of individuals from two totally different generations, received 4 National awards. It was later remade as Sur Sangam in Hindi, additionally directed by Vishwanath.

It was on February 2, 1980, that Sankarabharanam was launched and he breathed his final on the identical day in 2023. He subsequently made many movies that had artwork, particularly music as their backdrop. These embrace Sagara Sangamam, Swati Kiranam, Swarna Kamalam, Sruthilayalu and Swarabhishekam.

His 1985 Telugu movie Swati Muthyam, that includes Kamal Haasan within the central character as an autistic man who involves the rescue of a younger widow, was India’s entry for Best Language Foreign Film on the Academy Awards.

Kamal Haasan considers Vishwanath as certainly one of his mentors. He had known as on the legendary director throughout his go to to Hyderabad in November final yr.

Viswanath made his Bollywood debut with the 1979 movie Sargam, which was a remake of his personal film Siri Siri Muvva. Kaamchor, Shubh Kaamna, Jaag Utha Insan, Sanjog, Eeshwar, and Dhanwaan had been a few of his different motion pictures in Bollywood.

–– Except for the headline, nothing else on this IANS story has been modified

Published Date: February 3, 2023 11:25 AM IST