While receiving care for aging-related ailments in a hospital in Hyderabad on February 2, the renowned film director K. Vishwanath passed away at the age of 92. Over the course of a seven-decade career, Vishwanath authored, directed, and appeared in a number of films. He predominantly worked in Telugu film, but he also directed a number of Hindi remakes.

 

 

Viswanath began his career as an audiographer for Vauhini Studios in Madras. After a short stint as a sound engineer, he began his filmmaking career under filmmaker Adurthi Subba Rao and eventually went on to work as an assistant director on 1951 Telugu film Pathala Bhairavi. His first film was Aatma Gowaravan in 1965 and his last was Subhapradam in 2010. He last appeared on screen as an actor in the 2022 movie Oppanda.

 

He was known for making films about social issues and frequently collaborated with the actor Kamal Haasan, who starred in movies like Sagara Sangamam (1983) and Swathi Muthyam (1986). Vishwanath’s best-known film is Sankarabharanam (1980).

 

Viswanath made his Bollywood debut with 1979 film Sargam, which was a remake of his own movie Siri Siri Muvva. Some of his other popular Hindi films include Kaamchor, Shubh Kaamna, Jaag Utha Insan, Sanjog, Eeshwar and Dhanwaan.

 

 

His films won five National Film Awards and seven state Nandi Awards. For his work, he was conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest award in Indian cinema, in 2017. He was also a recipient of the Padma Shri.