Filmworld
Thousands bid farewell to M.S. Viswanathan
Chennai, July 15
Scores of people flocked the Besant Nagar crematorium here on Wednesday
to bid farewell to southern composer M.S. Viswanathan (MSV) who died on
Tuesday.
MSV, as he was fondly known in the Tamil film
fraternity, had over 750 films to his credit in an illustrious career
spanning over four decades.
He was 87, and passed away due to geriatric problems.
On Tuesday, his body was shifted to his residence from the hospital for fans and well-wishers to pay their final respects.
On
Wednesday, thousands of MSV's fans and members of the film fraternity
joined the procession from his residence to the crematorium.
Viswanathan's sons and other family members were present.
Musicians
Shankar and James Vasanth, filmmaker P. Vasu, actors Kamal Haasan,
Mohan and Sachu and MDMK leader Vaiko were among those who paid their
last respects at the crematorium.
As a mark of respect to the
legendary composer, the Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI)
cancelled all film-related activities on Wednesday.
MSV was
popular for his collaboration with fellow composer T.K. Ramamurthy. They
composed music for 86 Tamil films over a decade.
They started
composing together in 1952 but split up in 1965. Some of their best
films include "Paasamalar", "Sumaithaangi", "Server Sundaram",
"Aayirathil Oruvan" and "Enga Veetu Pillai".
Viswanathan's solo
hits include "Bama Vijayam", "Galatta Kalyanam", "Deivamagan", "Moondru
Dheivangala, "Rickshawkaran", "Bharatha Vilas" and "Ulagam Sutrum
Valiban".
Popularly known as 'king of light music' (Mellisai
Mannar), Viswanathan also worked in Malayalam films such as
"Manthrakodi", "Babu Mon", "Ullasa Yathra" and "Amme Anupame".
In
Telugu, his compositions include "Tenali Ramakrishna", aceAnthuleni
Katha", "Idhi Katha Kaadu", "Aakali Rajyam" and "Maro Charitra".
MSV and legendary filmmaker K. Balachander's combination produced several evergreen classics.