Veteran Movie Maker And Actor K Viswanath Is No More

Veteran director, actor, and screenwriter Kasinadhuni Viswanath passed away late on Thursday at age 92 in Hyderabad. The actor was admitted to a private hospital due to age related illness where he breathed his last.

His passing comes as a shock to the industry, with many celebrities taking to social media to express their deep condolences.

Viswanath had been in semi-retirement for a while, with his last directorial being the 2010 Telugu movie Subhapradam. However, as an actor, he last starred in the 2022 Kannada movie Oppanda. Born in 1930 in Repalle, AP, he began his career as a sound recordist at Vauhini Studios, where his father, K Subramanyam, worked as an associate and it was in 1951 that he switched to direction, working as an assistant director in the Telugu-Tamil movie Pathala Bhairavi.

In 1965, he directed his first movie, Aatma Gowravam, which won the Nandi Award. At a time period where cinema revolved around romance or action, he broke the glass ceiling by making movies that were anything but the norm.

Confirming the news of his passing, a spokesperson for the family posted, "Famous director K Viswanath passed away a while ago and his body was taken home from Apollo Hospital by his family members."

Many stars such as Jr NTR, Chiranjeevi and others mourned his passing. Chiranjeevi released a statement that stated, "I am shocked to hear the passing of Viswanath, a great director who took Telugu films to an international level. His passing is a huge loss not just to me but for the Telugu film industry."

తెలుగు సినిమా ఖ్యాతిని ఖండాంతరాలుగా వ్యాపింపజేసిన వారిలో విశ్వనాధ్ గారిది ఉన్నతమైన స్థానం. శంకరాభరణం, సాగర సంగమం లాంటి ఎన్నో అపురూపమైన చిత్రాలని అందించారు. ఆయన లేని లోటు ఎన్నటికీ తీరనిది. వారి కుటుంబానికి నా ప్రగాఢ సానుభూతిని తెలియజేస్తూ ఆయన ఆత్మకి శాంతి చేకూరాలనుకుంటున్నాను. pic.twitter.com/3Ub8BwZQ88
— Jr NTR (@tarak9999) February 2, 2023