
Renowned choreographer, actor, and television judge K Sivasankar, popularly known as Sivasankar master, passed away on Sunday evening due to Covid-19 complications at a private hospital in Hyderabad.
Known for his distinct choreography and acting versatility, Sivasankar was awarded the National Award for Best Choreography for his work in the SS Rajamouli film, Magadheera. He was also bestowed with four Tamil Nadu State Awards for his choreography in Uliyin Osai, Poove Unakkaaga, Varalaaru and Vishwa Thulasi.
Born on December 7, 1948, in Chennai, Sivasankar master was drawn to dance at a very young age. He learned the basics of dance from Nataraj and Sakunthala from Chennai. Later, he worked as an assistant to dance master Saleem in 1974.
The 72-year-old veteran began his choreography career as an assistant in the 1975 film, Paattum Bharathamum, and graduated to become a choreographer with Kuruvikoodu (1980). He made his Telugu debut with the Chiranjeevi-starrer Khaidi (1983) and went on to work in films like Ammoru (1995), Suryavamsam (1997), Swayamvaram (1999), Allari Pidugu (2005), Arundhati, Mahatma (2009) and Baahubali: The Beginning (2013).
Sivasankar Master has worked in over 800 films across Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi. Apart from his extensive work as a choreographer, his acting roles too further made him a household name. He played several prominent roles in films like Sudigadu (2012), Nene Raju Nene Mantri (2017), NTR: Kathanayakudu, Ninu Veedani Needanu Nene and Raju Gari Gadhi 3 (2019). Even in Tamil, his performances in films like Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaya, Paradesi, and Varalaaru gained him prominence as an actor.
Besides films, Sivasankar master also served as a judge for several reality dance shows on television.
He is survived by sons Vijay and Ajay, who are also working as choreographers.
Many film personalities and fans took to social media to express solidarity with the family and offered their condolences.