Kaithapram Viswanathan Namboothiri, the Malayalam music director who famously composed the soundtrack for Jayaraj's film 'Kannaki,' has passed away. He was 58 years old at the time. In Kozhikode, he was having cancer treatment.
Viswanathan Namboothiri was the younger brother of Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri, a well-known songwriter, and musician.
In 1963, he was born in Kannur's Kaithapram hamlet. Viswanathan received the Ganabhooshanam title from Thiruvananthapuram's Swathi Thirunal College of Music.
According to a report by India TV, Pinarayi Vijayan, the state's chief minister, and V D Satheesan, the state's opposition leader, expressed their condolences. In his statement, Vijayan expressed his regret for Viswanathan's premature passing.
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He was a music instructor at Kannur's Mathamangalam School and Nileswaram's Rajah's HSS. Later, in Payyannur, he founded Sruthilaya, a music school.
In Jayaraj's award-winning film Deshadanam, he made his film debut as Kaithapram Damodaran's assistant.
He composed music for 23 Malayalam films, including 'Thilakkam' and 'Ekandham,' starring Dileep. In 2001, he got the Kerala state cinema award for his background compositions for 'Kannaki'
His wife Gauri and three children survive him.
