Tamil Cinema Loses Visionary: Velu Prabhakaran Dies At 68

Tamil cinema mourns the loss of filmmaker, cinematographer, and actor Velu Prabhakaran, who passed away at 68 in a Chennai private hospital on Friday following a long illness. On Thursday, his team announced on X that he was in critical condition, receiving intensive care and constant medical supervision.

Known for his fearless approach, Velu Prabhakaran directed films that challenged societal norms, tackling themes like atheism, caste, and sexuality. His notable works include Nalaya Manithan (1989), its sequel Adhisaya Manithan (1990), and Kadhal Kadhai (2009), which faced scrutiny from the Central Board of Film Certification for its bold content. He began his career as a cinematographer with Ivargal Vithyasamanavargal (1980) and later explored action films in the late '90s and early 2000s. His final directorial venture was Oru Iyakkunarin Kadhal Diary (2017), and he last appeared as an actor in Gajaana (2025).

Velu was previously married to actor-director P Jayadevi and later wed actor Shirley Das in 2017, who starred in Kadhal Kadhai. His last rites are scheduled for Sunday evening at Porur crematorium, with his body available for public homage at Valasaravakkam in Chennai from Saturday evening to Sunday afternoon.