Veteran filmmaker-actor Manivannan passed away in Chennai today. The 58-year-old suffered a massive heart attack and breathed his last, sources said. With over 400 films to his name, Manivannan was one of the most experienced actors in the field. As director, he gave many memorable movies. His last venture was
the recently released Amaidhi Padai 2 (Nagarajacholan MA MLA). He hailed s from a small town called Sulur in Coimbatore district. While doing his P.U.C. in Kovai Govt. Arts College, he made friends with a lanky young contemporary: Sathyaraj. Their friendship stood the test of time and proved to be mutually rewarding. While still a collegian, Manivannan was bitten by the stage-bug and consequently he staged a few performances. Inspired by the impact the film Kizhakkae Pogum Rail made on him, he feverishly scribbled a fan mail to the filmmaker Bharathiraja and the ter ran to more than a hundred pages. Bharathiraja liked the earnest impressions made by the bearded and emaciated man from Coimbatore. He took him under his fold as an apprentice. Manivannan joined Bharathiraja’s camp around 1979, when the revolutionary director was acting in and directing a real classic, Kallukkul Eeram
