Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, Pawan Kalyan mourn demise of Bharathiraja

CHENNAI: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, and mega star Chiranjeevi condoled the demise of veteran director Bharathiraja on Wednesday.

Revanth Reddy said Bharathiraja left an indelible mark on the film industry with his contributions spanning four decades, and commended the filmmaker for his distinguished service to Indian cinema by helming numerous diverse and message-oriented films across various languages.

Chiranjeevi, who collaborated with the director for the 1987 Telugu hit 'Aradhana', said Indian cinema has lost one of its greatest storytellers. “He (Bharathiraja) transformed the fragrance of village soil, the beauty of human relationships, the innocence of love, and the emotions of ordinary people into timeless cinematic poetry. His films touched millions of hearts and inspired generations of filmmakers,” Chiranajeevi said in a post on X.

He said he was fortunate to work under Bharathiraja’s direction as ‘Puliraju’ in ‘Aradhana’ and added that the filmmaker’s legacy would live on forever through his remarkable films. “Rest in peace, ‘Iyakkunar Imayam’ Bharathiraja garu. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and admirers,” Chiranjeevi said.

Describing Bharathiraja’s demise as an "irreparable loss" to the film industry, Pawan Kalyan said the veteran director won the hearts of audiences not only in Tamil cinema, but Telugu, Kannada and Hindi languages.

Bharathiraja's Telugu films, including Chiranjeevi's 'Aradhana' and 'Sitakoka chiluka', which won a National Award, found a permanent place in the hearts of audiences, the actor-turned-politician said.
Bharathiraja (84) died in Chennai on Wednesday due to age-related complications.