Director GS panicker passes away

THRISSUR: Film director GS Panicker (78) passed away on Thursday in Chennai. He died on Thursday morning while undergoing treatment for cancer. Panicker, a native of Attingal, Thiruvananthapuram, lived in 'Capital' flat in Peramangalam, Thrissur. He has been in Chennai for two years with his son Sanil, an IT officer.

After graduation, Panicker went to Chennai to study cinema. After studying at the Pune Film Institute, he spent three years in Canada doing television shows. After returning to Kerala, he started producing and directing films.

His first film was 'Ekakini' based on MT Vasudevan Nair's story 'Karutha Chandran'. Starring Ravi Menon and Shobha in the lead roles, the film received several accolades including the State Award for Best Film. In 1986, he directed 'Pandavapuram' based on the novel by Sethu. n 1982, he made a children's film based on Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menon's poem 'Sahyante Makane'.