Legendary filmmaker K S Sethumadhavan no more

Award-winning legendary filmmaker K S Sethumadhavan, who helmed a handful of iconic and path-breaking movies in Malayalam, died at his residence in Chennai, film industry sources said here on Friday.

He was 90 and was not keeping well for some time due to age-related ailments, they said.

A multi-time recipient of the national and state awards, Sethumadhavan directed over 60 movies in five languages during his career spanning many decades since early 1960s.

Besides Malayalam, he directed movies in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi.

The evergreen movies like "Odayil Ninnu", "Anubhavangal Palichakal", "Oppol", "Aranazhikaneeram", "Achanum Bappayum" and so on, which are considered landmark films Malayalam, were the contributions of Sethumadhavan.

Born in 1931 in northern Palakkad district of Kerala, he entered into tinsel town as an assistant director to K Ramnath.

After launching himself as an independent filmmaker through the Sinhalese movie "Veeravijaya" (1960), he directed his first Malayalam film "Jnana Sundari".

It was Sethumadhavan who introduced iconic Kamal Haasan as a child actor in Malayalam through the move "Kannum Karalum" and in the lead role through his film "Kanyakumari".

He was known for giving silver screen adaptation for iconic works in Malayalam literature.

'Venalkinavukal", a 1991 movie based on the script of Jnanpith laureate M T Vasudevan Nair, was his last outing in Malayalam.

Sethumadhavan received the J C Daniel Award, the highest honour in the film sector instituted by the Kerala government, in the year 2010.

He is survived by wife Valsala and three children.