Well known cinematographer-director KV Anand passed away early this morning after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was 54.

Reports suggest that Anand, along with his daughter, had tested positive for Covid-19, about one-and-a-half weeks prior to his demise, and hence, legalities necessitated that his mortal remains be handed over to the Corporation officials for cremation. In line with this, it is now being said that his body has been taken directly to the Besant Nagar crematorium in Chennai. His family members, apparently, were allowed to pay homage from a safe distance for a short time.

Both the filmmaker and his daughter seem to have quarantined themselves after their diagnosis and had apparently sought medical assistance. As the filmmaker, over the course of his treatment, developed severe breathlessness and chest pain, he had driven his car to a private hospital in the city, for an emergency consultation.

The possibility of his cardiac arrest turning out to be a direct complication of his Covid-19 infection is not known yet.

KV Anand had made his debut as a cinematographer in director Priyadarshan's Thenmavin Kombath (1994). He also won National Film Award for Best Cinematography for his work in the film. His first Tamil film was Kadhal Desam in 1996. Some of his hit films as a cinematographer are Nerukku Ner, Mudhalvan, Boys, and Sivaji: The Boss. He debuted as a director with the 2005 Srikanth-Prithviraj film, Kana Kanden. His last project as a director was Kaappaan (2019) with Suriya, Mohanlal, and Arya.