HYDERABAD: When a young man from Pedapulivarru, a non-descript village, located on the banks of river Krishna, in Andhra Pradesh, began his film career as a technician at a studio in Madras, not many thought that the youngster would one day create ripples not only in the Telugu tinsel town but also across the Indian film industry with his artistic works on celluloid.
The young man has now become an octogenarian and his films have stood as milestones as a testimony to his talent for perfectly capturing the lives of orthodox families.
Noted Telugu film director Kasinadhuni Viswanath, popularly known as K Viswanath, whose movies are matchless in depicting the human bonding amid traditional values, has been conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, which is the highest award in Indian cinema, for the year 2016. ‘‘The award is being conferred for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema,” according to a press release on Monday.
The award, consisting of a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus), a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh and a shawl, will be presented to Viswanath by President Pranab Mukherjee at a function in New Delhi on May 3. As a director he has made 50 films since 1965. Viswanath was born on February 19, 1930 to KSubrahmanyam and Saraswatamma.
He began his career as a technician in a studio at Chennai before debuting as a director with “Aatma Gowravam” and won the Nandi Award for the best feature film. His contributions have received recognition in the form of Padmashri Award in 1992. His national award winning ‘Swathi Muthyam’ was India’s official entry to the 59th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Film category. His film, ‘Sankarabharanam,’ is one of India’s most memorable classics.