National award-winning filmmaker KS Sethumadhavan no more. The ace filmmaker passed away at the age of 90 at his residence in Chennai on Friday morning. As reported in ETimes, he was not keeping well due to age-related issues. The late filmmaker first introduced now living legend Ulaganayagan Kamal Haasan as a child actor in the Malayalam film, Kannum Karalum, followed by the actor playing a lead in his movie, Kanyakumari. He is survived by his wife Valsala and three children - Santosh, Uma and Sonukumar.
He was born in 1931 in the northern Palakkad district of Kerala and stepped into the film industry as an assistant director. He assisted K Ramnath, followed by launching himself as a filmmaker via Sinhalese movie Veeravijaya released in 1960, following which he directed his debut Malayalam movie, Jnana Sundari. The late filmmaker was known for his path-breaking movies. The female characters in his movies were strong and inspirational. Being active for 30 years in the film industry, he made some iconic movies such as Odayil Ninnu, Oppol, Anubhavangal Palichakal, Aranazhikaneeram and more.
In the span of 30 years, he made 60 films in languages ranging from Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and Malayalam. He was honoured with 10 national awards and numerous Kerala state film awards.
He was recognized with J C Daniel Award, the highest honour in the film sector by the Kerala government in 2009. His last venture on the big screen was Venalkinavukal released in 1991 it was based on the script of Jnanpith laureate M T Vasudevan Nair.
We pray for his soul to rest in peace.
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