The legendary Indian film director Bharathiraja has passed away at the age of 85. He had been dealing with health problems for the past few years. According to sources, his health grew worse after he was deeply heartbroken by the sudden death of his son, Manoj, last year.

Bharathiraja completely transformed Tamil cinema. Before him, most movies were filmed inside studios. He changed this by taking cameras out into real villages and natural settings, capturing real rural life and deep emotions.

• 16 Vayathinile (1977): His very first movie starred Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. It was a massive hit and was later remade in Telugu as Padaharella Vayasu.
• Sigappu Rojakkal: Another massive success, which Telugu audiences loved under the title Erra Gulabilu.
• Seethakoka Chiluka (1981): A highly influential romantic musical. The unforgettable songs for this film were created by the famous music composer Ilaiyaraaja.
• Aradhana: Even the superstar Chiranjeevi wanted to work with Bharathiraja when his stardom was at its highest. This led to the film Aradhana, which was produced by Allu Aravind. While it wasn’t a huge box office success, it is remembered as a great effort.

Bharathiraja was highly versatile and could tell all kinds of stories, from revenge dramas to intense crime thrillers. Some of his other notable movies include Tik Tik Tik, Khaidi Vetta, and Jamadagni.

Later in his life, he started a highly successful second career as an actor. He acted in the movie Yuva, which was directed by Mani Ratnam. More recently, he received loud applause for his short, few-minute appearance in the movie Sir, starring Dhanush.