K Viswanath Passed AwayOne of Telugu cinema’s greatest directors, K Viswanath passed away on Thursday night due to age-related issues. He was 92 years old.

K Viswanath, also known as Kala Tapasvi, was the recipient of five National Film Awards, seven state Nandi Awards, ten Filmfare Awards South, and a Filmfare Award in Hindi.

He was honored with the “Prize of the Public” at the “Besançon Film Festival of France” in 1981. In 1992, he received the Andhra Pradesh state Raghupathi Venkaiah Award, and the civilian honor Padma Shri for his contribution to the field of arts. In 2017, he was conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest award in Indian cinema.

Viswanath started his film career as an audiographer and in sixty years, he has directed 53 feature films in a variety of genres, including films based on performing arts, visual arts, and aesthetics.

His first film as a director was Aatma Gowravam starring Akkineni Nageswara Rao in 1965. His greatest films are Shankarabharanam, Swathinuthyam, Sagara Sangamam, and Swayamkrushi. His last directed film was Subhapradam in 2010.

He also acted in several blockbusters like Kalisundam Raa, Narasimha Naidu, Tagore, and Mr. Perfect.

He received international recognition for his works and is known for blending parallel cinema with mainstream commercial cinema.

Viswanath’s filmography is known for addressing the issues of caste, color, disability, gender discrimination, misogyny, alcoholism, and socio-economic challenges through liberal arts medium.

We offer our deepest condolences to the legend. May you rest in peace, sir!