Legendary filmmaker IV Sasi passes away

Ace filmmaker and technician IV Sasi passed away on Tuesday in Chennai. He was 69.

According to reports, the director developed uneasiness on Tuesday morning and breathed his last on the way to the hospital. The body has been kept in Surya hospital, Chennai.

Hailing from Kozhikode, IV Sasi has directed about 150 movies in Malayalam. He has also directed several films in Tamil and Hindi. IV Sasi started his career as an art director in 1968, with the AB Raj movie Kaliyalla Kalyanam. He has received two state awards for Best Film. The Kerala state government has honoured him with the JC Daniel award in 2015. He also received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.

In his illustrious career spanning 34 years, IV Sasi has directed many significant films. Avalude Raavukal established him as a name to reckon with in the film industry. The 'Adults only' film was remade in several other languages, including Hindi.

IV Sasi was one of Malayalam cinema's biggest stalwarts. He introduced Mammootty as a hero in his film Thrishna. He went on to direct him in Mrugaya, a film on man-animal conflict which was well ahead of its times. He has also directed Mohanlal in many films, including Ineyengillum, which was one of the actor's big breaks. Devasuram, one of Mohanlal's biggest hits which enjoys a cult following to date, was directed by IV Sasi. Both superstars of the Malayalam industry owe the director much of their stardom.

Considered to be a pathbreaker, IV Sasi broke away from the shackles of commercial cinema to give the audience gritty realism and films with technical brilliance. In his first film as director, IV Sasi made the unconventional choice of casting Ummer, a regular villain, as the hero in Utsavam.

IV Sasi's fame was not restricted to Mollywood. He has also directed the superstars of the Tamil industry, Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth. In fact, it was IV Sasi who introduced Rajinikanth to the Malayalam industry with Allauddinum Albutha Vilakkum in 1979. Kaali, one of Rajinikanth's memorable films, was also directed by IV Sasi.

In 1992, IV Sasi was awarded the prestigious Nargis Dutt Award for best feature film on national integration for his film Aaroodam.

IV Sasi was married to actor Seema, whom he met on the sets of Avalude Raavukal. The couple had celebrated their wedding anniversary in Kozhikode last year. The couple has two children.