Veteran Tamil filmmaker K Bhagyaraj dies at 73

Veteran Tamil filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter K. Bhagyaraj died on Saturday, June 27, 2026, in Chennai following a cardiac arrest. He was 73.

Bhagyaraj suffered chest pain early in the morning at his residence and was rushed to a private hospital, where he was declared dead. His passing comes just 17 days after the death of his mentor, the acclaimed director Bharathiraja, compounding the grief within the Tamil film industry.

Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu C. Joseph Vijay announced that Bhagyaraj would be accorded full state honors for his final rites. In a statement, the Chief Minister described Bhagyaraj's death as an irreparable loss to Tamil cinema, praising his unique storytelling and films that captured rural life and family relationships. Former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also offered condolences, noting Bhagyaraj's acclaim among audiences in Kerala.

Bhagyaraj is survived by his wife, actor Poornima Bhagyaraj, his son, actor Shanthanu Bhagyaraj, and his daughter Saranya Bhagyaraj. He had attended a wedding celebration in Goa just days before his death.

Born Krishnaswamy Bhagyaraj in 1953 in Tamil Nadu's Erode district, he moved to Madras to pursue a career in...