Veteran filmmaker and Dadasaheb Phalke awardee Kasinadhuni Viswanath passed away at a private hospital in Hyderabad around midnight on Thursday. He was 92.
Viswanath was unwell for some time and was suffering from age-related issues, sources said.
Popularly known as ‘Kalatapasvi’, Viswanath was born in February 1930 in Andhra Pradesh.
Viswanath was a prominent name not just in Telugu cinema but also in Tamil and Hindi films. He was conferred with Dadasaheb Phalke award in 2016.
The Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh joined with thousands of fans to condole the death of legendary filmmaker.
Telangana CM K. Chandrasekhar Rao expressed his condolences over the demise of Viswanath.
He said, “Viswanath was a rare and distinguished film director who chose an ordinary story and turned it into a classic movie on the silver screen with his amazing talent.”
The Chief Minister also recalled a conversation he had with Viswanath about movies, music, and literature when he went to console the ailing director at his residence.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy in a tweet, said that Viswanath's death had caused deep grief.
He tweeted, "Viswanath was a mirror of Telugu culture and Indian arts. The 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."
Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan said she was saddened to hear about the passing of Vishwanath. "Kalatapasvi's directorial classics like Shankarabharanam, Swathi Muthyam, Sagara Sangamam, etc. will continue to inspire generations to come. Indian cinema lost a genius. "Condolences," tweeted the governor.