K BHAGYRAJ GARU PASSED Away

Krishnasaamy Bhagyaraj, born on January 7, 1953 in Vellankoil near Gobichettipalayam, is one of Tamil cinema’s most influential writer-director-actors. He started his film career in 1977 as an assistant to director Bharathiraja and first made his mark as a writer with Kizhake Pogum Rail (1978). The film’s sharp dialogues and rooted storytelling immediately set him apart. 

Bhagyaraj turned director with Suvarilladha Chiththirangal (1979) and became a hero the same year with Puthiya Vaarpugal. What made him unique was his “one-man army” approach – he would often write the story, screenplay, dialogues, direct the film, and play the lead role. His films focused on middle-class families, relationships, and everyday problems, but always ended with a clever twist that became his trademark. 

The 1980s was his golden era. Mundhanai Mudichu (1983) where he played a widower raising a baby became a massive hit and won him the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor. Dhavani Kanavugal (1984) addressed the issue of women working in match factories and won him the Filmfare Best Director. Other classics include Indru Poi Naalai Vaa (1981) – a college comedy, Chinna Veedu (1985) – about a man caught between two wives, and Enga Chinna Rasa (1987). Many of his Tamil hits were remade in Hindi: Mundhanai Mudichu became Masterji with Rajesh Khanna, and Thooral Ninnu Pochu was remade as Mohabbat.

His screenplay style is still studied today. Bhagyaraj would set up simple situations, layer them with comedy and emotion, and then flip the entire plot in the last 20 minutes. He rarely used big budgets or action – character and dialogue drove his films. 

Personal life: He married actress Praveena in 1978, who died in 1983. He later married actress Poornima in 1984. His son Shanthnu Bhagyaraj and daughter Saranya Bhagyaraj are both actors.

After the 1990s he shifted more to character roles and TV. He directed the long-running serial Chinna Papa Periya Papa and appears as a judge on comedy shows. Recently, he did cameos in Singapore Saloon (2024) and Indian 2 (2024). In 2026 he announced a new film as director with Shanthnu as hero, marking his return to direction after a long gap.

Bhagyaraj is called the “King of Screenplay” in Tamil cinema. Directors like K. S. Ravikumar, Agathiyan, and even Bollywood writers have cited him as an influence for his tight, twist-driven writing. At 73, he remains active and respected as a living textbook of commercial storytelling.

Now he is no more ??