KOCHI: Ace Malayalam film director K S Sethumadhavan, who created many classic movies based on established literary works passed away at his residence at Kodambakam Directors' Colony on Friday morning, December 24, 2021, at the age of 90.
Sethumadhavan who won 10 national awards and 8 state awards was bestowed the J C Daniel Award for lifetime contributions in 2009.
Born to Subrahmanyam and Lakshmi in Palakkad on 1931, Sethumadhavan completed his degree in biology at Government Victoria College in Palakkad. His first Malayalam film was Gnana Sundari, which was based on a short story by writer Muttathu Varkey. He went on to direct 64 films and a notable number of his films were adaptations of famous literary works.
His most acclaimed movies are Odayil Ninnu based on a novel by P Kesavadev, Daham, Sthanarthi Saramma, Koottukudumbam Vazhve Mayam, Ara Nazhika Neram, Anubhavangal Palichakal, Karakanakadal, Achanum Bappayum, Punarjanmam, Chattakari, Oppol, Marupakikam and Kannada movie Manini.
His film Achanum Bappayum had won the Nargis Dutt Award for best film on national integration in 1973. Sethumadhavan brought the national award for best film to Tamil for the first time through his film Marupakkam in 1991. In 1996 his Telugu film Stri won the national award for best feature film in Telugu.
Starting his career as an assistant of director K Ramanathan in 1951, Sethumadhavan became an independent filmmaker through Sinhalese movie Veeravijaya in 1961. He introduced actor Kamal Haasan to Malayalam cinema as a child artist through his film Kannum Karalum in 1962. Kamal Haasan acted as the son of actor Sathyan in this movie. He later introduced Kamal Haasan in Malayalam cinema as a hero for his movie Kanyakumari, which was also the debut movie of actor Jagathy Sreekumar. In 1965 actor Suresh Gopi made his debut in Malayalam moviedom as a child artist through Sethumadhavan's Odayil Ninnu. Actor Mammootty also made his debut as a junior artist in the movie Anubhavangal Palichakal, directed by Sethumadhavan in 1971.
Communist thinkers and first chief minister of Kerala EMS Namboothiripad had acted in his movie Ollathu Mathi in 1967. EMS acted as chief minister in the movie and the scene was shot at the office room of the chief minister during his second term in 1967.
He had directed 64 movies in 6 languages. Venal Kinavukal, scripted by writer M T Vasudevan Nair and released in 1991 was the last Malayalam movie directed by him.
He is survived by his wife Salsala Sethumadhavan, sons Sonukumar, Santhosh and daughter Uma. His son Santhosh Sethumadhavan had remade the classic movie Chattakari in 2012.