Renowned Tamil film industry director, cinematographer, and actor Velu Prabhakaran passed away on Friday, July 18th, at a private hospital in Chennai. He was 68 years old. His family members have confirmed that Velu Prabhakaran's death was due to a prolonged illness.
Entertainment: Veteran South Cinema director, cinematographer, and actor Velu Prabhakaran passed away on Friday, July 18th. He was 68 years old and had been battling a serious illness for some time. He breathed his last in a private hospital in Chennai. His death has sent a wave of grief through the Tamil film industry. According to his family, he had been ill for a long time and was admitted to the ICU in his final days.
Memorable Contribution from 'Nalaya Manithan' to 'Kadhal Kadhai'
Velu Prabhakaran was famous in Tamil cinema as a director, cinematographer, and actor. He started his directorial journey with the film 'Nalaya Manithan' in 1989. After this, in 1990, he made a sequel to this film, 'Adhisaya Manithan'. Although some of his films did not do well at the box office, he did not give up and focused on action and romantic drama films in the late 90s.
Velu Prabhakaran gained a distinct identity with 'Kadhal Kadhai' (2009). He himself acted in this film along with actress Shirley Das. He married Shirley Das in 2017. Before that, he was married to actress-director Jayadevi, but they later divorced.
Velu Prabhakaran's Last Film Came in 2025
Velu Prabhakaran's last film was 'Gajaana', which was released in 2025. Before this, he had acted in films like 'Gangs of Madras', 'Cadaver', 'Pizza 3: The Mummy', 'Red', 'Weapon', and 'Appu VI STD'. In 2017, he directed 'Oru Iyakkunarin Kadhal Diary', which is considered his last directed film.
Velu Prabhakaran's mortal remains will be kept at Valasaravakkam, Chennai, for final viewing until Sunday, July 20th, noon. After this, the final rites will be performed on Sunday evening at the Porur crematorium in the presence of his close relatives and friends. After the news of his death came out, many big stars and directors of the South industry paid tribute.
Velu Prabhakaran's Contribution to the Film Industry
Velu Prabhakaran started his career as a cinematographer and gradually established himself as a b director and artist. He made films in many different genres in his career, including science fiction, horror, action, and love stories. The attempt to show a mirror to society is clearly visible in the films directed by him.
He created a distinct identity for himself in the industry by working on bold content and controversial subjects. Although some of his ideas and films were controversial, he never compromised on his style. With the news of Velu Prabhakaran's death, big names of Tamil cinema have expressed grief through social media. He will be remembered in the South film industry as a director who made films with a big vision despite limited resources.
