KOLLAM: Noted filmmaker, screenwriter and cultural administrator R Sarath (65), a native of Punalur in Kollam district, died at KIMS Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram in the early hours of Monday. He was reportedly under treatment for kidney related ailments.
Sarath, who entered the film industry with the 2000 Malayalam film Sayahnam, had won nine international awards, a National Film Award and four Kerala State Film Awards during his career.
Sayahnam, his debut as a director and screenwriter, won seven Kerala State Film Awards and the Indira Gandhi National Award for Best Debut Film. The film was screened in the competition section of the Munich International Film Festival in 2001 and was subsequently invited to several prominent international film festivals.
His subsequent feature films included Sthithi (2003), which was screened at the Bangkok International Film Festival, and Sheelavathi (2006), which dealt with serious social issues and premiered at the Asia Pacific Film Festival in Taiwan.
Sarath also wrote and directed the Indo-Chinese co-production The Desire – A Journey of a Woman (2011), a Hindi film. His popular film Paradise (2012) won awards at the Mexican International Film Festival and the Amsterdam Film Festival and continued to be screened at international festivals.
He also directed Buddhan Chirikkunnu, made as a celebration of Charlie Chaplin's life during the centenary celebrations of his acting career.
Sarath's contributions extended beyond filmmaking. While shooting his internationally acclaimed documentary The Painted Epics, he discovered rare mural paintings attributed to Raja Ravi Varma at the Kilunoor temple.
The discovery contributed significantly to studies on the murals. His research on mural paintings earned him a Junior Fellowship from the Cultural Department of the Government of India in 1996.
A postgraduate in English literature, Sarath had received formal training in filmmaking and journalism. He served as deputy director in the Information and Public Relations Department and also worked as director of the MPCC under the Cultural Department and secretary of Bharat Bhavan.