Legendary dialogue writer Aaroor Dass passed away at his Chennai residence on Sunday. He was 91.
Having made his dialogue writing debut with Vaazha Veitha Deivam (1959), he became a household name with his work in the iconic Sivaji Ganesan-Savithri film, Pasamalar (1961).
A frequent collaborator of some of the biggest names of that era's Tamil cinema, Aaroor Dass has written the dialogues for the two shining stars of Tamil cinema—MGR and Sivaji Ganesan— in over 25 films. Some of his writing credits include classics like Pudhiya Paravai, Deiva Magan, Vettaikkaran, and Anbe Vaa.
Apart from his dialogue writing credentials, Aaroor Dass made his directorial debut with the Penn Endraal Penn, which starred Gemini Ganesan in the lead. One of his lasting legacies is his friendship with director AC Tirulokchander. Their artistic journey, which began with Veera Thirumugan, went on to deliver some of the much-loved blockbusters of Tamil cinema.
Apart from his work in cinema, Aaroor Dass also authored a book, titled Kodambakkathil Arubadhu Aandugal, which was launched in 2012.
Also known for his works in the Tamil dubbed versions of popular other language films starring the likes of Mohanlal, Dr Rajasekhar, Mammootty, Vijayashanthi, and Venkatesh, one of his last writing credits was for Vadivelu's comedy film, Tenaliraman.
A Kalaimaamani award recipient, Aaroor Dass was also felicitated with the Kalaignar Kalaithurai Vithagar award earlier this year. In fact, owing to the writer's old age, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin visited him personally to hand him the award at his residence.
Survived by his son Ravichander, and daughters Thara Devi and Asha Devi, the last rites of the celebrated writer will happen later today.
(This story originally appeared in Cinema Express)