Filmmaker K. Balachander breathed his last on Tuesday evening of December 23, 2014 at a private hospital in Chennai. He was hospitalized last week, due to urinary infection and age-related ailment.

The crematory rites will be conducted by his son Prasanna at Besant Nagar crematory ground by around 4 pm, today. And presently his mortal remains are kept at his residence for public viewing. Several dignitaries from politics and film industry like Rajinikanth , Sarath Kumar, Vaiko and Udhayanidhi Stalin have paid their visit, till now.

K. Balachander was the man who shaped the careers of Rajinikanth , Sridevi , Kamal Haasan , Prakash Raj and Ramesh Aarvind to name a few. Bollywood and Kollywood are mourning over his death. Going by their tweets:

Madhur Bhandarkar : "Sad to know of d demise of K Balachander. A genius storyteller, his gems Ek Duje Ke Liye & Zara Si Zindagi will keep his legacy alive. RIP."

R. Madhavan : "RIP K Balachander sir. You will be so missed.i can never forget you sparkling smile and warm handshakes."

Ram Gopal Varma : "Want to express my heartfelt grief for the passing away of K Balachander, the only true maverick and path breaking director of all time."

Neetu Chandra : "Sad to hear about @K.Balachander sir. We lost a legend few mins. Ago. RIP #TamilNadu #Chennai

Rana Daggubati : "It's very saddening to hear that Legendary director K. Balachander Garu is no more. May his soul rest in peace."

Javed Jaffrey : "A great director passes on..your films are embedded in our minds and hearts..RIP K.Balachander sir."