Bharathiraja passes away | CM Vijay says TN govt to accord state honours

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective.

First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming.

Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day.

Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers

Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there

The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay pays respects to the mortal remains of Bharathiraja. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Renowned Tamil film director Bharathiraja passed away in Chennai on Wednesday (June 10, 2026). Tributes poured in for the ace director who died at 84. He had been ailing for some time.

Celebrated for shifting Tamil cinema from studio-bound film-making to authentic rural landscapes, and for his iconic opening line, “ Yen Iniya Tamil Makkale,” delivered in his distinctive voice, he was a transformative force in not just Tamil but Indian cinema.

Also Read: The multiple shades of ‘actor’ Bharathiraja: ‘Mani Ratnam asked me if I was interested in politics’

A towering personality in the film industry, fondly known as Iyakkunar Imayam (Pinnacle among Directors), Mr. Bharathiraja won six National Film Awards, four Filmfare Awards (South), six Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and a Nandi Award. More significantly, he was instrumental in introducing several new actors in Tamil cinema. In a characteristic move, he rechristened many actors with names beginning with the letter “R”, gifting the industry with talented artistes including Radikaa, Revathi, Radha, Ranjitha and Rekha. The actors who went on to become prominent figures in the Tamil industry include Karthik, Pandian, Chandrasekar, Napoleon and Janakaraj.

Recalling the difficult days in a conversation with The Hindu in 2018, Ilaiyaraaja had said that in 1968, he, his brothers and a few friends boarded a bus to Chennai in search of a career in the film industry. The journey was anything but easy, writes B. Kolappan.

Explore the inspiring journey of Bharathiraja and Ilaiyaraaja as they overcame struggles to achieve success in the film industry.

In a career spanning over five decades, the auteur cemented an unshakable legacy as one of the most important Tamil filmmakers of all time — his was a filmmaking voice that not only shook Tamil cinema from the confines of studios, but also made scathing remarks abo