Veteran filmmaker Balu Mahendra dead

Renowned Tamil filmmaker Balu Mahendra died at the Vijaya Hospital here Thursday. He was 74.

"Following a heart attack, he was admitted to the hospital this morning. He was later shifted to Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where he passed away an hour later," a hospital source told IANS.

His body has been shifted to his residence for his fans to pay their last respects.

Balu started his career as a cinematographer on the 1974 Malayalam film "Nellu". He worked as a cinematographer in nearly 20 films before wielding the megaphone for 1976 National Award winning Kannada film "Kokila".

One of the pioneers of Tamil cinema, he is known for his visually inspiring work such as "Moondram Pirai", "Sandhya Raagam" and "Veedu".

His last directorial was the 2013 critically acclaimed Tamil film "Thalaimuraigal", which was produced by his student actor-filmmaker M. Sasi Kumar.

He has also directed Hindi films such as "Sadma" and "Aur Ek Prem Kahani".