The Hindu : G.V. Iyer dead

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 22, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore

G.V. Iyer dead

BANGALORE Dec. 21 . The doyen of Kannada cinema, G.V. Iyer, passed away at a hospital in Mumbai this evening. He was 86.

Mr. Iyer, who had undergone an operation of his urinary tract, complained of uneasiness this morning at a friend's house in Mumbai and was rushed to hospital. He died in the evening after his heart and kidneys failed. He had gone to Mumbai to select artistes for his venture, Ramayana. He is survived by his son, Raghavendra.

Born in 1917 in an orthodox Brahmin family in Nanjangud of Mysore district, Mr. Iyer did not have formal education. He joined a drama troupe as a teenager.

He was associated with 65 films as director or producer.

Mr. Iyer, a Swarna Kamal award winner, was known for his "uncompromising" career spanning six decades.

The early part of his career was devoted to mainstream cinema. After he made Hamsageethe, the box office failed to interest him.

Adi Sankaracharya, the first film to be made in Sanskrit, won him national and international acclaim. A German scholar wrote a thesis on this cinematic achievement. It was followed by Madhwacharya, and Ramanujacharya.

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