Kochi: Krishnaswamy Bhagyaraj, one of the most influential figures in Tamil cinema, passed away on June 27 at a private hospital in Chennai after suffering a cardiac arrest. Known for his remarkable contributions as a director, writer, actor, producer and composer, the list of his work is endless and so are his titles.
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Popularly known as K Bhagyaraj, he was born on January 7, 1953, in Vellankoil near Gobichettipalayam in Erode district in Tamil Nadu. Over a career spanning several decades, he acted in more than 75 films and directed over 25 films, earning widespread acclaim for his distinctive storytelling.
He started his career as an assistant director for Bharathiraja in ‘16 Vayathinile’ (1977) in which he also played as a junior artist. He also stepped into the field of scriptwriting with films like ‘Kizhake Pogum Rail’ (1978) and ‘Tik Tik Tik’ (1981), and writing dialogues for ‘Sigappu Rojakkal’.
Bhagyaraj made his directorial debut with Suvarilladha Chiththirangal in 1979 and also his debut as the leading man in Puthiya Vaarpugal, directed by Bharathiraja for which he received the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Dialogue Writer in ‘Puthiya Vaarpugal’ (1979). For ‘Kanni Paruvathille’ (1979), he did everything from writing dialogues, screenplay and acting.
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K Bhagyaraj's must-watch Tamil movies
He mostly casted himself for the films he wrote and directed, making him a one man who did it all in his films.
One of his notable works in the industry was ‘Mundhanai Mudichu’ (1983) where he introduced evergreen actress Urvashi. Later on he also introduced her sister Kalpana with his another venture ‘Chinna Veedu’ in 1985, both commercially successful films. He received the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil in ‘Mundhanai Mudichu’, which even gave him national recognition. The film was also remade in Hindi with Rajesh Khanna in lead role.
From 1991, he gradually started accepting more acting offers as a lead hero, where director-producer-scriptwriter would be three different people, rather than doing it all.
He also started the weekly magazine "Bhagya" and where he was also the editor of that same.
Bhagyaraj got married to actress Praveena, in 1981 but she passed away in August 1983. He later got married to actress Poornima Jayaram in 1984, who was also his co-star in the film ‘Darling, Darling, Darling’ (1982). The couple has two children together, Saranya and Shantanu Bhagyaraj.
He launched both his kids into the industry, daughter Saranya Bhagyaraj in ‘Parijatham’ (2007) which he wrote and directed, and son Shanthanu Bhagyaraj who already did many child roles in his father’s early films, in lead role with ‘Siddhu +2’ (2010), which he again directed himself.
He took a break from acting as the lead hero in Tamil films after the release of the massive critical and commercial failure, ‘Vaettiya Madichu Kattu’. Instead, he directed many TV shows during this period.
He was also involved in politics for a brief time. He launched the party MGR Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (MGR Popular Progressive Federation) in Tamil Nadu in February 1989. The party failed in its operations. Bhagyaraj later joined All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). Bhagyaraj joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in the presence of the party president M. Karunanidhi, and criticized the AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa. Later, he even left DMK and distanced himself from politics.
Bhagyaraj last acted in the film 2026 Tamil supernatural horror and psychological thriller, ‘Dark Giant’, which released last week.
His demise marks the end of an era in Tamil cinema, leaving behind a rich legacy.
