The ‘Kala Tapasvi’ was being treated for age-related complications at a private hospital in HyderabadTollywood and Indian cinema suffered a devastating blow when legendary director ‘Kala Tapasvi’ K Viswanath passed away on Thursday night in Hyderabad. He was 92. The nonagenarian was being treated at Apollo Hospitals for age-related complications before he breathed his last.He was born on February 19, 1930, as Kasinadhuni Viswanath, in Repalle town of Guntur district. He completed his Intermediate education at Hindu College in Guntur and BSc from Andhra University. After making his entry into film direction at Annapurna Pictures under Adurthi Subba Rao and K Ramnoth, he debuted as a filmmaker with the Telugu movie Aatma Gowravam in the year 1965, which won the 'Nandi Award for Best Feature Film'. Earlier yesterday, the film fraternity was celebrating 43 years since the release of his film Sankarabharanam, which is considered to be one of the all-time classics of Indian Cinema. Viswanath holds high regard in the industry as a visionary director. His movies Sagara Sangamam, Sruthilayalu, Sirivennela, Swarna Kamalam and Swati Kiranam were a tribute to Indian art and culture. Viswanath’s filmography is known for addressing a wide range of social issues, including the evils of untouchability and the caste system, the dignity and respectability of manual labour, and the dowry system.Interestingly, Viswanath made his acting debut in his directorial Subha Sankalpam (1995) upon Kamal Haasan's insistence. Subhapradam in 2010 was his last film as a director, following which, he continued acting in several films. Although the filmmaker turned into an actor upon Kamal Haasan's insistence, he continued to pursue it as a hobby after retiring from filmmaking. Subha Sankalpam, Narasimha Naidu, Aada Vaari Matalaku Ardhale Verule, Tagore, Athadu, Andhrudu, Mister Perfect and Kalisunda Raa were some of his memorable films as an actor. Viswanath's last on-screen appearance remains to be the 2016 film Hyper.For his yeoman services to the film industry, he was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2016 by the Government of India. Viswanath was also conferred the Ragupathi Venkayya Award in 1992 by the Andhra Pradesh government, a year in which he was also given the Padma Shri. He is also the recipient of five National Film Awards, seven state Nandi Awards, ten Filmfare Awards South, and a Filmfare Award in Hindi. He is survived by his wife Kasinadhuni Jayalakshmi and their three children, Padmavathi, Ravindranath and Nagendranath.