2 min readMar 11, 2026 06:06 PM IST
Renowned Tamil director and music composer Thakkali Srinivasan has passed away. He breathed his last at the age of 72 in Bengaluru on Tuesday, March 10, following health complications, India Today reported. In a career spanning over two decades, he had also gained popularity as a writer, producer, and actor.
Confirming Srinivasan’s death, industry publicist Nikil Murukan wrote on social media, “Deeply regret to inform that producer-director-composer Thakkali Srinivasan passed away due to health complications in Bengaluru. His last rites will be performed in Bengaluru.”
Srinivasan entered Tinseltown by bankrolling director Venkat’s Ivargal Varungala Thoongal (1987), starring Prabhu, Ambika, and Raghuvaran in the lead roles. He then produced Robert-Rajasekar’s Manasukkul Mathappu (1988), featuring Prabhu and Saranya. It was a remake of the Priyadarshan-Mohanlal duo’s superhit tragicomedy Thalavattam (1986).
While he played a key role in Kamal Haasan’s Soora Samhaaram (1988), he returned to the producer’s chair with the Prabhu-Amala starrer Naalai Manithan (1989), where he also played an important character. Along with Premi, he composed music for the movie. The Premi-Srini duo then went on to craft music for a handful of films.
Naalai Manithan’s sequel, Adhisaya Manithan (1990), marked his final movie as a producer. He then turned to filmmaking and created his debut movie, Jenma Natchathram (1991). A remake of the classic British-American supernatural horror film The Omen (1976), Srinivasan also penned the screenplay for Jenma Natchathram. Subsequently, he helmed movies such as Witness (1995) and Asokavanam (2001). His final film venture was Aduthathu (2011).
According to Nikil Murukan, Srinivasan was a philanthropist who spent his final years running an ashram and lived with his adopted children. His last rites were held on Wednesday, March 11.
