K. Bhagyaraj, veteran Tamil filmmaker, actor and writer, died in Chennai due to a heart attack on Saturday. He was 73. His demise signals the end of a glittering career which helped define Tamil cinema for many decades through box-office hits, incredible stories, and social-beacon humour.
Bhagyaraj has left behind his widow, actress-turned-wife Poornima Bhagyaraj, son and actor Shanthanu Bhagyaraj and daughter Saranya Bhagyaraj. Till his last few days of life, he continued his active participation in the public life and had recently been to Khushbu Sundar’s daughter’s wedding in Goa which was also actor-politician Khushbo Sundar’s daughter’s wedding.
In more than 40 years of filmmaking, Bhagyaraj adapted the art to suit the occasion, becoming a writer, director and actor in various blockbusters such as Mundhanai Mudichu, Chinna Veedu, Darling Darling Darling, Sundara Kandam and Enga Chinna Rasa. He is also said to have introduced actresses Urvashi and Kalpana in Tamil films.
Hailing from 1953, Bhagyaraj started pursuing his career in the Film Industry when he shifted to Madras where he worked as an assistant director to G. Ramakrishnan and Bharathiraja. He had small time acting roles and later he became known as a good screenwriter for Kizhake Pogum Rail (1980) and Tik Tik Tik (1982).
Bhagyaraj is one of the most influential film-makers of the 1980s and ‘90s, who fused family amusement with socially relevant messages in his films. In addition to his acting, writing and directing roles, he has also performed as a composer of music for his films, adding to his versatility.
Tributes from the film fraternity and film lovers have started coming in, hailing Bhagyaraj as the visionary storyteller whose work had changed the Tamils film industry and gave an inspiration to the future generations of filmmakers and actors.