KS Sethumadhavan, a National Film Award-winning director, died at the age of 90

KS Sethumadhavan, the winner of ten national and nine Kerala state film awards, died on Friday in Chennai, according to industry insiders.

The 90-year-old, who was born in Palakkad in 1931, retired from acting in the mid-1990s and now lives in Chennai.

Sethumadhavan began his cinema career as an assistant to legends such as LV Prasad and Sunder Rao, among others, in the late 1950s.

When Sethumadhavan made a Sinhalese picture in 1960, he became an independent film director, and he never looked back. He directed about 70 films, predominantly in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telegu, as well as the 1975 successful Hindi film 'Julie.'

'Odayil Ninnu,' 'Daaham,' 'Sthanarthi Saramma,' 'Koottukudumbam,'Vazhve Mayam,'Aranazhika Neram,'Anubhavangal Palichakal,'Chattakkari,'Oppol,'Marupakkam' are some of his most popular films.

In 1971, Mammootty made his debut as a junior actor in Sethumadhavan's successful film 'Anubhavangal Palichakal.' Under the master craftsman, actors Kamal Hassan and Suresh Gopi made their cinematic debuts.

He received the J.C. Daniel Award, the highest state honour in the film industry, in 2009 for his remarkable career and contributions to the business.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed his condolences on Sethumadhavan's death, saying that the cinema industry had lost a doyen, whose works had been praised by everybody, and that despite his residence in Chennai, he was always intimately associated with the state and maintained a strong link.

Later in the day, in Chennai, the final rites would be performed.