Chandrahasan Srinivasan (6 March 1936 – 18 March 2017) was an Indian film producer and actor from
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
.
Early life
Born to advocate Srinivasan and Rajalakshmi, Chandrahasan was the second of four children. His elder brother
Charuhasan
Charuhasan Srinivasan (born 5 January 1931) is an Indian actor, director and retired lawyer who has acted in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. He won the National Film Award for Best ActorSubha J Rao,Entertainment for a cause, Th ...
and younger brother
Kamal Haasan
Parthasarathy Srinivasan (born 7 November 1954), known professionally as Kamal Haasan, is an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Considered as one of the most accomplished actors of Indian Cinema, Haas ...
worked predominantly as actors in the film industry, while his younger sister, Nalini Raghuram, is a classical dancer. As a youngster, Charuhasan practised as a singer, before being readied for a career as a lawyer. In contrast to Charuhasan, Chandrahasan maintained a very close relationship with his younger brother Kamal Haasan throughout his successful career as an actor.
Career
In 1995, he appeared as an actor in his niece
Suhasini Maniratnam
Suhasini Maniratnam (; born 15 August 1961) is an Indian actress who works in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada films.
Early life
Suhasini's paternal cousins Anu Hasan, Shruti Haasan and Akshara Haasan have also since become acto ...
's directorial debut ''
Indira''. The film featured his own daughter
Anu Hasan
Anu Haasan (born Anuradha Chandrahasan) is an Indian actress and TV anchor. She made her film debut in the critically acclaimed ''Indira (film), Indira'' (1995) and has since appeared in many Tamil films, playing minor roles. She hosted the cele ...
in the title role alongside
Arvind Swamy
Arvind Swamy (born 18 June 1970) is an Indian actor, film director and entrepreneur known for his work in Tamil cinema and a few Hindi cinema, Telugu cinema and Malayalam cinema. He was introduced as an actor by Mani Ratnam with the blockbuste ...
and
Nassar. During the 2000s, Chandrahasan took a more active role in the management of
Raaj Kamal Films International
Raaj Kamal Films International is an Indian film production and distribution company founded and headed by Kamal Haasan
Parthasarathy Srinivasan (born 7 November 1954), known professionally as Kamal Haasan, is an Indian actor, filmmaker ...
. During the problems faced during the release of ''
Vishwaroopam'' (2013), Charuhasan had taken a pivotal role in mediating with the opposition.
Prior to his death, Chandrahasan completed acting in the lead role of a film titled ''Appathava Aattaya Pottutanga'' by debutant director Stephen Rangaraj. A tale of romance between two older individuals, Stephen cast Chandrahasan as he wanted someone who was known as a "respectable person" and because the romance should not be conveyed in the wrong light. The film, which featured him alongside Sheela, the mother of actor
Vikranth, was completed in 2017 but had a direct release in OTT platform Sony Liv in 2021.
Personal life
Chandrahasan was married to Geethamani and has a son, Nirmal Hasan, who is settled in the United States. His daughter,
Anu Hasan
Anu Haasan (born Anuradha Chandrahasan) is an Indian actress and TV anchor. She made her film debut in the critically acclaimed ''Indira (film), Indira'' (1995) and has since appeared in many Tamil films, playing minor roles. She hosted the cele ...
, has appeared as an actress in Indian and British productions.
Geethamani died in January 2017, aged 73. Following her death, Chandrahasan died in March 2017, aged 81.
Death
Following a cardiac arrest, Chandrahasan died aged 81 on 18 March 2017 in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. Following the death of his wife in January 2017, Chandrahasan had travelled to stay with his son Nirmal in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, for a change of scenery. On his return, to avoid taking a twenty three hour journey to Chennai, he had made a brief stopover in London to visit his daughter Anu. He was staying at her residence during the time of his death. The family later held a quiet funeral upon the return of his body to Chennai, before holding a remembrance meet with film industry personalities in April 2017. Apart from family, other guests included
Rajinikanth
Shivaji Rao Gaikwad (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 170 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, ...
,
Ilaiyaraaja
Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, multi-instrumentalist, lyricist and playback singer popular for his works in Indian cinema, predominately in Tamil cinema, Tamil in addition ...
and
Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj (born Prakash Rai; 26 March 1965) is an Indian actor, film director, producer, television presenter, and politician. Known for his works in Telugu language, Telugu, Tamil language, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, English language, Engl ...
. Kamal Haasan later described his brother as "a father figure".
Filmography
;As a producer
;As an actor
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chandrahasan
2017 deaths
Indian Tamil people
Tamil film producers
Telugu film producers
Hindi film producers
Film producers from Chennai
1934 births