Celebrated Telugu director K Viswanath passes away

Well-known writer-director Kaasinathuni Viswanath, popular as K Viswanath, breathed his last while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the city late on Thursday night. He was 92.
He directed over 50 films in a career spanning over six decades. Born on February 19, 1930 in Peddapulivarru, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, Viswanath was known for blockbusters 'Sirisirimuvva' (1976), 'Shankarabharnam' (1980), 'Sagara Sangamam' (1983), 'Swathi Muthyam' (1986), 'Sruthilayalu' (1987) and 'Sutradhaarulu' (1990).
Several of his Telugu hits were remade into Hindi, which turned out to be great hits such as 'Eeshwar', remake of 'Swathi Muthyam', 'Sur Sangam, remake of 'Shankarabharnam' and 'Sargam'. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1992. The Andhra Pradesh government had awarded the prestigious Raghupathy Venkaiah award for his contribution to Telugu cinema in 1991. He won Dada Saheb Phalke Award in 2016. The veteran director bagged five National Film Awards and 11 Filmfare Awards. His first directorial venture 'Atma Gowravam' won Nandi. He won two consecutive awards in the same category in the following years, creating a 'hattrick.
'Swathi Muthyam' was the official Indian entry for 'Best Foreign Film' for Oscars in 1986. His last film was 'Shubhapradam' (2010).