The demise of Kala Tapasvi K Viswanath, widely regarded as the finest filmmaker ever produced by Telugu cinema, marks the end of a glorious chapter. His decorated filmography comprised landmark films that remain some of Telugu cinema’s greatest works—both for their artistic merit and the moral values they firmly stood for.
Beginning from Aatma Gowravam (1965) to Subhapradam (2010), all his films, in one way or the other, have pronounced the importance of human values and underlined the repercussions when these values go missing. His fascination for the human psyche and all its intricacies always found a way to seep into his narratives, be it through light-hearted means in films like Swati Muthyam (1985) and Subhalekha (1982) or through serious films like Swathi Kiranam (1982) and Saptapadi (1981).
On a broader level, his most celebrated work, the iconic Sankarabharanam (1979), in fact, is a confluence of two recurring themes in stories, the evils in the society and how love & art can help one overcome these man-made barriers. The film won the Prize of the Public at the Besancon Film Festival of France and received a Special Mention at the Moscow International Film Festival.
Viswanath might have been a taskmaster but his associates only have the fondest things to share about him. Chiranjeevi, who worked with the master filmmaker on Swayam Krushi (1987) and Aapadbandhavudu (1990) has always been vocal about his reverence for him and maintained that he was a father figure for him.