Veteran filmmaker Bharathiraja died at his residence in Chennai at the age of 85, closing the life of one of Tamil cinema’s most influential directors. He had been in poor health in recent months, but the exact cause of his death was still not known.

The news lands with particular force because Bharathiraja was not only a director with nearly 40 films to his name, but also a working actor whose screen presence remained current until recently. His last appearance was in Mohanlal’s Thudarum, while his most recent directorial work came as a segment in Modern Love Chennai, titled Paravai Kootil Vaazhum Maangal.

For readers searching his name now, the reason is simple: Bharathiraja was a foundational figure in Tamil film history. He made his directorial debut with 16 Vayathinile in 1977 and went on to helm films including Kizhake Pogum Rail, Sigappu Rojakkal, Alaigal Oivathillai, Kaadhal Oviyam and Mudhal Mariyathai. Over the years, he earned the title Iyakkunar Immayam, a nod to the scale of his influence.

His final months had been marked by fragility. In December last year, he was admitted to a hospital in T Nagar, Chennai, after experiencing respiratory problems such as wheezing. He had also been struggling since the death of his son Manoj in March 2024, when the 48-year-old died of a cardiac arrest. Jayaraj Periyamayathevar said Bharathiraja’s mental health remained very low after that loss and that he was not able to cope.

That grief now sits alongside the uncertainty around his own passing. The family and the industry are left with a death that has been described in broad terms, yet still lacks a settled medical explanation. What is clear is that Tamil cinema has lost a filmmaker who helped shape its language on screen and stayed active both behind and in front of the camera until the end.

His acting credits included Aayutha Ezhuthu, Pandianadu, Eeswaran, Thiruchitrambalam and Maharaja, and the unreleased Pulavar will now stand as his final film on the acting front. For a generation of viewers, Bharathiraja is gone; for the industry, the immediate task is not to look ahead, but to mark the end of an era he helped define.