Doyen of Kollywood, veteran director P Bharathiraja passes away at 84

CHENNAI: Veteran filmmaker, producer, screenwriter and actor Bharathiraja passed away at his residence in Chennai early Wednesday morning. He was 84. He was under treatment for old age ailments and breathing issues. He was the director of memorable films ranging from '16 Vayathinile' to ' ‘Muthal Mariyathai’ that rewrote the rural face of Tamil cinema. He was honored with six national awards during his four-decade-long film career.

Even as the story and characters changed, Bharathiraja's frames maintained the rural beauty of Tamil Nadu. Bharathiraja is a genius who brought Tamil cinema, which was focusing on mythological stories, to the common people. He made a series of superhits in Tamil. He was honored with the Padma Shri in 2004 and was the chairman of the jury for the Kerala State Film Awards in 2013.

He shone as a director and screenwriter and in the last days of his life, he also entered into acting. His performance in Dhanush's Thiruchitrambalam was highly praised. Bharathiraja appeared in the role of an old-time stunt master in Mohanlal's ‘Thudarum’.

Bharathiraja was born as Chinnasamy to parents Periyamaya and Karuthammal in Theni Allinagaram in the erstwhile Theni district of Tamil Nadu. He married Chandraleela in 1974 and has two children Manoj Bharathiraja and Janani. Manoj was an actor and he married Malayalam actress Nandana. He died of heart attack on March 25, 2025. Janani is married to Malaysian Rajkumar Thambiraja.