The mortal remains of legendary filmmaker Bharathiraja were taken to his hometown Theni on Thursday morning. Family members, friends, industry colleagues and admirers gathered to pay their last respects to the iconic director.Residents of Theni and surrounding regions have made arrangements to offer condolences before the last rites. The funeral will take place in his hometown around 3:00 pm, Cinema Express reports.The veteran filmmaker passed away in Chennai after battling health-related issues.
Chief Minister Joseph Vijay pays homage
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay visited the late filmmaker’s residence soon after the news of his death broke. The Chief Minister paid tribute to Bharathiraja by offering floral tributes before the mortal remains.
Mohanlal pays a touching tribute
Among the celebrities who remembered Bharathiraja was Mohanlal, who recently worked with the veteran filmmaker in Thudarum in Malayalam.The actor shared a touching message, “A director who found poetry in soil, truth in silence and soul in every frame. Sharing screen space with Bharathiraja Sir in Thudarum was an honor I will cherish forever. Rest in peace sir. Your legacy will continue to inspire generations and your presence will be sorely missed.”
Pawan Kalyan remembers the film icon
Actor and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan also expressed grief over the filmmaker’s death. “The demise of renowned film director and Padma Shri awardee Shri Bharathiraja garu is an irreplaceable loss to the Indian film industry. With his unique films, he won the hearts of Tamil film audiences as well as Telugu, Hindi and Kannada language audiences. A recipient of 6 national awards, he left his unique mark on the Indian film scene. Devotional film Aaraadhana brought to life with Annayya Megastar @KChiruTweets garu as well as National Award winning films like Seethakoka Chiluka have been etched forever in the hearts of the audience. As a director who brilliantly portrayed rural life and human relationships on screen, Shri Bharathiraja garu will be remembered forever.”He added, “Losing such a great creative director is an irreplaceable loss to the Indian film industry. Deeply saddened by the death of Shri Bharathiraja garu, I convey my deepest condolences to his family members and fans. Om Shanti. #Bharathiraja.”
Raghava Lawrence has delayed an important announcement
Cast-director Raghava Lawrence also paid tribute to Bharathiraja and revealed that he had delayed a major announcement as a mark of respect.“The industry is currently mourning the death of Mr. Bharathiraja. This loss is very personal, like losing a family member. In view of Mr. Bharathiraja and his immense contribution to cinema, I have decided to postpone my announcement.”Lawrence later informed his followers of the revised schedule.“Hello everyone, I previously informed you that I would be making a major life decision announcement on Thursday the 11th at 9:30 am. Now I will be making an announcement on Friday the 12th at 10:00 am.”Popularly known as ‘Iyakkunar Imayam’, Bharathiraja leaves an extraordinary cinematic legacy.
