Kasinadhuni Viswanath (19 February 1930 – 2 February 2023) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, lyricist and actor who predominantly worked in Telugu cinema. One of the greatest auteurs of Indian cinema,[1][2][3][4] he received international recognition for his works, and is known for blending parallel cinema with mainstream cinema.[a] He was honuored with the "Prize of the Public" at the "Besançon Film Festival of France" in 1981.[7] In 1992, he received the Andhra Pradesh state Raghupathi Venkaiah Award, and the civilian honour Padma Shri for his contribution to the field of arts. In 2016, he was conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest award in Indian cinema.[8][9][10] He is popularly known as "Kalatapasvi."
Viswanath was born on 19 February 1930 in a Telugu family to Kasinadhuni Subramanyam and Kasinadhuni Saraswathy (Saraswathamma) in Repalle of Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh.[27] His ancestral roots come from Pedapulivarru, Andhra Pradesh, a small village on the banks of River Krishna.[28][29] Viswanath studied Intermediate from Guntur Hindu College, and holds a BSc degree from Andhra Christian College of Andhra University.[30] He began his career as a sound recordist at Vauhini Studios in Madras, where his father was an associate. There, he apprenticed under the guidance of A Krishnan, who was the Head of Sound Engineering at Vauhini. Viswanath and A Krishnan developed a close rapport and later after the former made the transition into film direction, he would always bounce ideas off the latter. Viswanath made his entry into film direction at Annapurna Pictures under Adurthi Subba Rao and K. Ramnoth.[31][32] He wished to work as an assistant to director K. Balachander and Bapu.[30]
Sankarabharanam (1980) highlights the neglect of traditional Indian music under the increasing influence of western music. The film brings out the grandeur of Carnatic music, the traditional South Indian music towards the end. Bhaskaran, a media and film researcher from Chennai has documented, in his study of South Indian music culture, how Sankarabharanam contributed to the revival of Carnatic music in a big way.[34] The film broke many commercial records by running for over one year in cinemas. In a recent study published in Journal of Dance, Movements & Spiritualities published by "Intellect Group" of the United Kingdom, C. S. H. N. Murthy, a media and film studies scholar from India, has demonstrated how Viswanath's filmography embraces a wide spectrum of characters that include mentally and physically challenged subjects as well, like the film Sarada (1973), which exploits a psychologically deranged woman, Swathi Muthyam (1986), which exploits an autistic man's humanism, Sirivennela (1986) which revels in situations between deaf and dumb characters, and Kalam Marindi (1972), which dwells on characters stuck in a caste-based society.[3][4]
Film researcher, C. S. H. N. Murthy observed that Viswanath's films offer a pathway towards inclusiveness, affecting positive spiritual change at both personal and social levels. Situating the content in the broad arena of de-westernizing media studies, through immersive and culturally embedded perspectives, Murthy endeavoured to offer modern and postmodern dimensions in Viswanath's films.[3][4]
Films with social issues
Viswanath has made many films dealing with a wide range of human and social issues: Saptapadi, Sirivennela, Sutradharulu, Subhalekha, Sruthilayalu, Subha Sankalpam, Aapadbandhavudu, Swayam Krushi, and Swarnakamalam have lead characters representing different strata of society, meticulously etched to suit the larger picture.[3][4]
In Saptapadi, he decries the evils of untouchability and the caste system. In Subhodayam and Swayam Krushi he emphasizes the dignity and respectability of manual labor. In Subhalekha, he deals, in a humorous way, with the dowry system – one of the major evils in today's society. While Sutradharulu urges present-day society to recognize the need to adopt the ideals of non-violence, Swati Kiranam depicts the harm that can be caused by the basic instincts of envy and anger in a man, however accomplished he may be.[3][4]
In spite of the nature of these subjects, they are presented in a subtle manner with an imaginative storyline, with just the right amount of emphasis on the intended message. Yet Viswanath's films were never offbeat cinema, but wholesome entertainers those elevated the lead actors' image. He is a director with social-conscious mind and who believes cinema can bring out desirable changes in society if presented in a format liked by a cross-section of audience.[3][4]
Association with Poornodaya Creations
Edida Nageswara Rao founded "Poornodaya Movie Creations", which encouraged Viswanath to make aesthetic films.[35][36][25] Poornodaya has produced several of Viswanath's films like Sankarabharanam, Swatimutyam, Saagarasangamam, Sutradharulu, and Aapadbandhavudu. Most of these films were dubbed into Russian and were screened at the Moscow Film Festival.[35][36][37]
Viswanath had also acted in a few television serials; Siva Narayana Teertha on SVBC TV, Chellamay on Sun TV, and Suryiavamsam on Vendhar TV. He also endorsed brands such as GRT Jewellers and appeared in television commercials.[39]
Biopic
Viswadarshanam is an official biopic of K Viswanath, written and directed by Janardhana Maharshi, which tells the story of a 90-year-old acclaimed director.[40] The film was telecast on ETV (Telugu) on 19 February 2023, his 93rd birthday.[41]
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu Nandi Award for Best Feature Film (Gold) Filmfare Award for Best Film – Telugu Tashkent Film Festival
^ abcdefghijklMurthy, C. S. H. N. (1 December 2014). "Inclusiveness through art films in Telugu: A modern to postmodern analysis of K. Viswanath's films". Dance, Movement & Spiritualities. 1 (3): 413–438. doi:10.1386/dmas.1.3.413_1.
^"52nd National Film Awards"(PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Akal Information Systems Ltd. p. 81. Archived from the original(PDF) on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
^ ab30 Jun 2011 – Ranjana Dave (30 June 2011). "The meaning in movement". The Asian Age. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
