A pioneer in fusing parallel and mainstream cinema
Kasinadhuni Viswanath popularly called Kalatapasvi (sage of the arts) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, lyricist, sound designer, and actor active in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Hindi films.
He was a pioneer who produced movies that were years ahead of their time and was known for fusing parallel cinema with mainstream cinema.
He was a guru, a legend, and a mentor to many. Vishwanath directed 53 full length features over the course of six decades dealing with caste, colour, disability, gender, sexism, drunkenness, and socio-economic difficulties. But they included all popular components such as humour, romance, action, pathos, and drama.
His actors’ performances served as evidence that he was an unmatched director. He emphasised the value of music in movies and infused classical music with life in many of his productions. He altered what constitutes commercial cinema and subtly presented creative plots that placed exactly the proper focus on the intended message. For decades, viewers were captivated by the many genres.
He depicted our traditional and rural society with seeming effortlessness. To him cinema was a medium to educate people and bring positive societal change. Music and dance played a crucial role too as they helped in narrating the story in a more impactful way. A good film was one that touched the heart and soul of the audience. While being a work of art, it had to be commercial, as otherwise it would not reach the masses.
Viswanath, a BSc graduate was born in Repalle, Guntur district, now Andhra Pradesh. He began as a sound recordist with Vauhini Studios, in Madras. In 1951, he worked as K V Reddy’s assistant on the Telugu-Tamil film Pathala Bhairavi. Following that, he produced women-centric films like Chelleli Kapuram (1971), Aatma Gowravam (1965), Sarada (1973), O Seeta Katha (1974), and Jeevana Jyoti (1975), among others.
In 1965 with the Telugu film Aatma Gowravam, he turned director. However, with Siri Siri Muvva (1976) the creative element of his work first became apparent. Shankarabharanam (1980), highlighted how traditional Indian music was being neglected under the increasing influence of Western music; Sagara Sangamam (1982 or 83) was about the failure of a dance maestro; Swathi Muthyam (1986) about the humanism of an autistic man who marries a widow to rescue her from her difficulties and
Siri Vennela (1986) about the platonic love between a blind singer and a rich call girl, all of which touched the human emotions and turned out to be huge hits.
Viswanath also directed Hindi films such as Shubh Kaamna, Sargam, Kaamchor, Jaag Utha Insan, Sanjog, Sangeet, Dhanwan, Sur Sangam and Eeshwar, some of which were super box office hits. He also acted in over 30 Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada films starting in 1995.
Viswanath’s record of honours demonstrates his versatility and brilliance. At the French Besancon Film Festival 1981, he received the Prize of the Public; in 1992, he received the Padma Shri and the Andhra Pradesh State Raghupathi Venkaiah Award; in 2017 the Dadasaheb Phalke Award: He received 10 South Filmfare Awards, 1 Hindi Filmfare Award, 5 National Awards, and 7 AP State Nandi Awards, commencing with Best Picture for his very first film, Atma Gowravam.
Sagara Sangamam (1983) and Sankarabharanam (1980) were listed by CNN-IBN, among the top 100 Indian movies ever made . In the year that it was released, Swathi Muthyam served as India’s official submission for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars.
Vishwanath passed away in Hyderabad, Telangana aged 92, after a brief illness. He is survived by a daughter and two sons.
A true doyen of Indian cinema, he has left his legacy as a lesson for everyone.
Radhakrishnan is a Pune based freelance journalist, poet and short story writer.