Filmmaker SP Jananathan passes away

National Award-winning filmmaker SP Jananathan passed away today. The director was admitted to a private hospital in Chennai on Friday after his assistants found him unconscious at his residence. It was later reported that he suffered from brain hemorrhage and was put on ventilator support.

The director, who was in critical condition for the last two days, passed away today at 10 am. He was 61.

Jananathan was working on his upcoming film Laabam, starring Vijay Sethupathi. He made his filmmaking debut in 2003 with Iyarkai, for which the director won the National Award under the Best Feature Film in Tamil category. He went on to make films like E and Peranmai. In 2015, he also ventured into production with Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai.

Jananathan's films are known for their left-leaning ideologies. The way he portrayed caste discrimination in Peranmai was a talking point when the film came out. His films are also known for having strong female characters like Radhika in Iyarkai, Dhanshika in Peranmai, and  Karthika Nair in Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai.

After the news about Jananathan's demise broke, people from the film fraternity, friends and fans have been expressing their condolences.