Veteran actor, filmmaker, screenwriter Kasinadhuni Viswanath passed away at the age of 92 years at a private hospital in Hyderabad on Thursday.
The actor was battling age-related illness for the past few months and his death came as a shock to the Telegu Film industry, with many celebrities taking over to the social media to express their disbelief.
The legendary director , who directed his last Telugu film Subhapradam on 2010, made massive contributions even to the Tamil and Hindi film industries.
Born in 1930 in Repalle, Andhra Pradesh, Viswanath began his career as a sound recordist at Vauhini Studios in Madras, where his father, K Subramanyam, worked as an associate.
He has directed over 50 films in a variety of genres and has been honoured with five national film awards, seven state Nandi awards and ten Filmfare Awards South.
Vishwanath’s film revolves around social issues like caste, colour, disability, gender discrimination, misogyny and socio-economic challenges through liberal arts medium.
Eminent stars like Jr NTR, Chiranjeevi and others mourned his passing.
“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,” Chiranjeevi wrote in a tweet.
AR Rahman, MM Keeravaani, Krish Jagarlamudi and several other celebrities also bid goodbye to the celebrated artist.