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'Vanaprastham' director Shaji N Karun passes away at 73

'Vanaprastham' director Shaji N Karun passes away at 73

Time of India28-04-2025

Legendary Malayalam filmmaker and cinematographer
Shaji N Karun
passed away on Monday (April 28) at the age of 73. He had been unwell for a while and was battling health issues.
He was recently honoured with the J. C. Daniel Award for his lifetime contribution to Malayalam cinema, and his unique style contributed some of the finest movies to Mollywood, including '
Piravi
' (1988), 'Swaham' (1994), '
Vanaprastham
' (1999), 'Swapaanam' (2013), 'Oolu' (2018) and '
Kutty Srank
' (2010).
The filmmaker made his directorial debut with 'Piravi' in 1988, and the movie was screened at several international film festivals. Swaham was screened at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival for the Palme d'Or award.
Meanwhile, Shaji's 'Vanaprastham', which defined Mohanlal's career as one of the finest actors of Mollywood, won three awards at the 47th
National Film Awards
: Best Feature Film, Best Actor for
Mohanlal
, and Best Editing for A. Sreekar Prasad.
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His 2010 directorial venture 'Kutty Srank', starring
Mammootty
, also won the National Award for Best Feature Film.
His latest film was 'Olu'. Renowned writer
TD Ramakrishnan
created the story for the movie, which featured Esther Anil, Shane Nigam, Indrans, and
Kani Kusruti
in the lead roles.
Karun, who was honoured with the
Padma Shri
and France's prestigious "Order of Arts and Letters," became the first chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. He also later headed the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC).
Mohanlal celebrates his 61st birthday with family in Chennai
His loss stands as one of the greatest losses for Mollywood, as his excellent storytelling will ensure that his legacy endures.

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