R Sarath has died at 63.
The award-winning Malayalam filmmaker dabbled in features, documentaries and visual art.
R Sarath was hospitalised for health ailments.
National Award-Winning Malayalam Filmmaker R Sarath Dead At 63
The 63-year-old has a sprawling, award-winning oeuvere, that leaps across feature films, short films, documentaries and visual art.
Summary
Award-winning Malayalam filmmaker and screenwriter R Sarath has passed away at the age of 63 at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram in early hours of September 7, 2026. He was undergoing treatment for health-related ailments. He is survived by his wife and two sons.
Sarath helmed films including Sayahnam, Sthithi, Sheelabathi, Buddhanum Chaplinum Chirikkunnu, Swayam and Paradise. He has shifted between documentaries, feature films, and projects centred on art and heritage.
R Sarath's Career Milestones
His 2000 film Sayahnam brought him significant recognition. The film won the Indira Gandhi Award and also received seven Kerala State Film Awards that year. Another well-regarded project was The Desire - A Journey of a Woman, which won the Best Narrative Feature Film award at the Geneva International Film Festival in 2011.
His filmography also entailed short films such as Achinte Katha, Chumar Chithrangal, Bhoomikkoru Charama Geetham and Mahatma Gandhi Road. He also directed a documentary centred on the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, which received international attention. This was one of his most acclaimed projects was The Painted Epics. His research into Kerala's mural traditions also brought him national recognition. In 1996, R Sarath received a Junior Fellowship from the Department of Culture, Government of India.
Born in Vilakkudy in Kollam district, Sarath studied English at Mahatma Gandhi College in Thiruvananthapuram before doing his postgraduate studies at University College.
He later attended the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune, where he finished a Film Appreciation course. Before entering government service, Sarath worked as a journalist with Kerala Kaumudi. Later, he held various important official positions. He retired as Deputy Director of the Information and Public Relations Department, Government of Kerala. He had previously served as Director of MPCC and Secretary of Bharat Bhavan under the Kerala State Cultural Department. R Sarath's final directorial outing was Swayam: Selfless.
The FEFKA Directors' Union mourned his death and relayed its condolences to his family and loved ones.
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