'Vietnam Veedu' Sundaram dies at 76

CHENNAI: One of the last associates of veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan, popular film director and scriptwriter 'Vietnam Veedu' Sudaram passed away here on Saturday after a brief illness. He was 76.
Parthasarathy, his son-in-law, said, "He had jaundice and developed stomach ailment. He developed breathing difficulty and passed away around 1.20 AM."
'Vietnam Veedu' became a prefix after his play was made into a movie starring Sivaji Ganesan.
Beginning his theatre career with Y G Parthasarathy's drama troupe, Sundaram was encouraged by actors Sivaji and K R Vijaya.
Sundaram penned scripts for nearly all major actors, including M G Ramachandran, directed such blockbusters as 'Gauravam', 'Gnana Paravai', 'Vijaya', 'Devi Sri Kumariamman' and 'Payanam'.
He bagged the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for best script writer for 'Vietnam Veedu' in 1970 and Arignar Anna award in 1991.
In her condolence message, chief minister J Jayalalithaa said Sundaram was one of the best script writers in the industry. "Sundaram's demise is a big loss to the industry. He was simple and had a friendly nature," she said.