Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Febr 3: Dadasaheb Phalke awardee and renowned Telugu filmmaker Kalatapasvi K Viswanath passed away at the age of 92 from age-related ailments on Thursday night.
As per information, Viswanath was undergoing treatment for age-related illnesses at a private hospital in Hyderabad.
Former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu expressed grief at the demise of the renowned film director on Friday.
Deeply grieved to hear of the demise of renowned film director, Sri K. Viswanath. As a film-maker he brought depth & dignity to the medium earning global recognition for his movies with a message. May his atma attain sadgati! Om shanti! pic.twitter.com/snX4RVsIVJ
— M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) February 3, 2023
“Deeply grieved to hear of the demise of renowned film director, Sri K. Viswanath. As a filmmaker, he brought depth and dignity to the medium earning global recognition for his movies with a message. May his atma attain Sadgati! Om Shanti!
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao also expressed his condolences over the death of Viswanath.
ప్రముఖ దర్శకుడు, కళా తపస్వి, పద్మశ్రీ కె. విశ్వనాథ్ గారి మరణం పట్ల ముఖ్యమంత్రి శ్రీ కె. చంద్రశేఖర్ రావు తీవ్ర సంతాపం తెలిపారు. అతి సామాన్యమైన కథనైనా తమ అద్భుత ప్రతిభతో వెండి తెర దృశ్య కావ్యంగా మలిచే అరుదైన దర్శకులు శ్రీ కె. విశ్వనాథ్ అని సీఎం అన్నారు. pic.twitter.com/5nZmJpsDIV
— Telangana CMO (@TelanganaCMO) February 3, 2023
“Viswanath was a rare distinguished film director who chose an ordinary story and turned it into a classic movie on the silver screen with his amazing talent,” he was quoted as saying in a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office.
Taking to Twitter, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, expressed his grief over the filmmaker’s demise and stated he was ‘a mirror of Telugu culture and Indian arts.’
విశ్వనాథ్గారి మరణం తీవ్రవిచారానికి గురిచేసింది. తెలుగు సంస్కృతికి, భారతీయ కళలకు నిలువుటద్దం విశ్వనాథ్గారు. ఆయన దర్శకత్వంలో రూపుదిద్దుకున్న చిత్రాలు తెలుగు సినీరంగానికి అసమాన గౌరవాన్ని తెచ్చాయి. తెలుగువారి గుండెల్లో కళాతపస్విగా శాశ్వతంగా నిలిచిపోతారు.#KVishwanath pic.twitter.com/XKAq2E68yn
— YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (@ysjagan) February 2, 2023
“Vishwanath is a mirror of Telugu culture and Indian art. Films under his direction have brought unparalleled respect to the Telugu film industry. He will remain forever in the hearts of Telugu people as an artist,” said Reddy.
Viswanath, also known as Kalatapasvi, was born in February 1930 in Andhra Pradesh. A prominent name not just in Telugu cinema but also in Tamil and Hindi films, he also became the 48th recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke award, the highest recognition in Indian cinema.
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Viswanath embarked on his journey as a sound artist and directed award-winning films such as ‘Sankarabharanam’, ‘Sagara Sangamam’, ‘Swati Mutyam’, ‘Saptapadi’, ‘Kaamchor’ and many others in his long career that included an equally successful stint in front of the camera.
He was also honoured with 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 has made 50 movies since 1965. He debuted as a director with ‘Aatma Gowravam’, which starred Akkineni Nageswara Rao and won the Nandi Award for the best feature film.
