Who is K Viswanath? Know his achievements, Bollywood debut, awards, popular films and more

K. Viswanath, a legendary Telugu director known for films such as Sankarabharanam, Sagara Sangamam, Swathi Muthyam, and Swarna Kamalam, among others, died on Thursday (Feb 02) at his home in Hyderabad. The five-time national award winner was experiencing age-related issues. He was 92.

Who was K. Viswanath?
Viswanath, also known as 'Kalatapasvi,' was born in Andhra Pradesh in February 1930. He was the 48th laureate of the Dadasaheb Phalke award, the highest distinction in Indian cinema. He was a significant name not just in Telugu cinema but also in Tamil and Hindi films. He was given the prize for the year 2016. 

Also Read: K Viswanath passes away in Hyderabad: Mammootty to Jr NTR to AR Rahman and others South celebs pay tribute

K. Viswanath starting career:
Viswanath, who began his career as a sound artist, directed award-winning films such as "Sankarabharanam," "Sagara Sangamam," "Swati Mutyam," "Saptapadi," "Kaamchor," "Sanjog," and "Jaag Utha Insaan" during the course of his lengthy career, which also featured a successful turn in front of the camera.

K. Viswanath Awards:
In 1992, he was awarded the Padma Shri and the Dada Saheb Phalke award in 2017. He had won the Filmfare awards eight times in a career spanning over four decades. His other honours include Padma Shri in 1992, five National Awards, 20 Nandi Awards (given by the Andhra Pradesh government) and 10 Filmfare trophies including the Lifetime Achievement award.

K. Viswanath as director: 
He debuted as a director with "Aatma Gowravam", which starred Akkineni Nageswara Rao and won the Nandi Award for the best feature film. The filmmaker followed it with "Chelleli Kapuram", "O Seeta Katha", "Jeevana Jyoti" and "Sarada". 

K. Viswanath as an actor: 
Viswanath also ventured into mainstream acting, working in movies like "Swarabhishekam" (which he directed as well), "Pandurangadu", "Narasimha Naidu", "Lakshmi Narasimha" and "Seemasimham", "Kuruthipunal", "Kakkai Siraginilae" and "Bagavathi", among others.

Subhapradam, a 2010 Telugu film starring Allari Naresh and Manjari Phadnis, was his last directorial endeavour. He has also appeared in over a dozen films in the Telugu and Tamil industries.

K. Viswanath in Bollywood:
Viswanath made his Bollywood debut in 1979 with the film Sargam, an adaptation of his own film Siri Siri Muvva. Kaamchor, Shubh Kaamna, Jaag Utha Insan, Sanjog, Eeshwar, and Dhanwaan are some of his other successful Hindi films.

K. Viswanath Popular films: 
Following the success of Sankarabharanam, Viswanath went on to produce a number of films with art, particularly music, as the backdrop. Sagara Sangamam, Swati Kiranam, Swarna Kamalam, Sruthilayalu, and Swarabhishekam are a few of these flicks.

His 1985 Telugu film Swati Muthyam, starring Kamal Haasan as an autistic man who comes to the aid of a young widow, was India's submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards.

(Inputs from PTI)

For more reliable and latest news subscribe to Asianet Newsable WhatsApp channel by clicking here.For more reliable and latest news subscribe to Asianet Newsable Telegram channel by clicking here.

• K Viswanath
• Kasinadhuni Viswanath
• Dadasaheb Phalke awardee