The famous Malayalam director passed away at the age of 76.

Malayalam film director M. Mohan breathed his last in a private hospital here on Tuesday. The 76-year-old filmmaker, known for his films in the eighties, had been ill for a few days.

A characteristic of all his films is that he relies on ordinary actors and their acting skills to take the film to the heart of the family audience. During his directorial career, which began in 1978 and ended in 1999, he directed around 25 Malayalam films, most of which were well received at the box office.

His notable films include Pakse, Isabella, Oru Katha Oru Nannakkatha, Idavela, Vida Parayum Munpe, Randu Penkuttikal and Shalini Ente Koottukari.

He was equally adept at scripting and started his career under stalwarts like Krishnan Nair, Padmarajan and was instrumental in transforming his neighbor Innocent from producer to actor.

Innocent later became one of the most popular comedians and character artists and this star status led him to victory as the CPI-M candidate from the Chalkudy Lok Sabha constituency in 2014, when he defeated Congress veteran PC Chacko but lost to Benny Behanan. 2019 Lok Sabha Elections.

Masoom passed away last year after a battle with cancer. Yesterday actress Jalja, who worked in several of Mohan's films, said: “Despite not being a superstar in the industry, he shined well and gave great importance to the nuances of filmmaking, especially the story. The songs from his films still resonate with many people and even now people ask me about them.”

Whenever Mohan joined hands with famous screenwriter John Paul, the result was a box office hit.

Another aspect of his films was that they were a mix of both art and commercial, carefully and skilfully woven into the screenplay.

His last rites will be held in Ernakulam in his native district on Wednesday after the arrival of his son.

(IANS)