Manayangath Subramanian Viswanathan (24 June 1928 – 14 July 2015), also known as M.S.V., was an Indian music director, singer and actor who predominantly worked in Tamil film industry. He was popularly known as ''Mellisai Mannar''. He composed songs for more than 800 Indian films and various albums. across languages primarily in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

and

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

films. He has also acted and sung in a few Tamil films. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

J Jayalalithaa Jayaram Jayalalithaa (24 February 1948 – 5 December 2016) was an Indian politician and actress who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for more than fourteen years over six terms between 1991 and 2016. From 9 February 1989 to 5 December 2 ...

conferred the ''Thirai Isai Chakravarthy'' (Tamil for "The Emperor of Cine Music") title on him in August 2012 and presented him with 60 gold coins and a new car. Viswanathan composed film music together with composer and violinist T. K. Ramamoorthy from the 1950s to 1965, as

Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy were an Indian music composing duo composed of M. S. Viswanathan and T. K. Ramamoorthy. They worked together on over 100 films, from 1952's ''Panam'' to 1965's '' Aayirathil Oruvan''. After their split, Ramamoorthy wor ...

for 100 Films. He independently composed for 700 films from 1965 to 2015.

Life

M S Viswanathan hailing from a Malayali family was born on 24 June 1928 to Manayangath Subramanian and Narayaniammal in Elappully village in

Palakkad Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated municipal ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South C ...

, India (Then in

Malabar district Malabar District, also known as Malayalam District, was an administrative district on the southwestern Malabar Coast of Bombay Presidency (1792-1800) and Madras Presidency (1800-1947) in British India, and independent India's Madras State (19 ...

Madras province The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including t ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

). His father died when Viswanathan was four years old, and his mother decided to kill him, his sister and herself as an escape from abject poverty and lack of support. He was saved at the last minute by his grandfather. His grandfather Krishnan Nair was a

warden A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint. ''Warden'' is etymologically ident ...

at the central jail of

Kannur Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a Cities in India, city and a municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated north of the major port city a ...

. After death of his father, his family moved from Palakkad to Kannur to stay with his jailor uncle. As a child, he sold refreshments in a movie theatre without any pay, so he could listen to the music in the films. He had a part in the film ''Kannagi'' produced by Jupiter Pictures. His primary education was at

Pallikunnu Pallikkunnu is a small township in Kannur, Kerala state, in South India. It is in Kannur corporation, on the National Highway between Kannur and Taliparamba. It is three kilometers away from Kannur city. Pallikunnu houses several educational i ...

, Kannur. He would often play truant from school and stand outside the house of Neelakanta Bhagavathar, a local music teacher, and listen to his teaching other students. He learnt to play the harmonium, and Neelakanta Bhagavathar, who heard him play and sing on a Vijayadasami Day, was impressed and organised a three-hour concert at the Kannur town hall. He later gave his first stage performance in

Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

at the age of 13. He worked as an office boy for Jupiter Pictures in the 1940s, earning Rs 3 per month. Viswanathan was married to Janaki and they have four sons and three daughters. His wife, Janaki, died on 14 May 2012. She was 77 when she died. He is known to have looked after his original Guru, S. M. Subbaiah Naidu, when the latter fell into financial difficulties and then continued to look after his wife until her death.As a rare human approach, M. S. Viswanathan, looked after his friend J. P. Chandrababu, the great Comedian and Singer of Tamil films, when the latter fell into financial ruins. Chandrababu stayed the last few years of his life in the house of M. S. Viswanathan, and as per the request of Chandrababu, MSV arranged his last rites when he died in March 1974.

Career

Viswanathan had always wanted to be an actor and singer, but was not successful. He had a few small roles in stage dramas in the 1940s. The composer and violinist T. R. Papa met Viswanathan, took a liking to him and arranged a job for him as an errand boy for S. V. Venkatraman's musical troupe in 1942. In that company of musicians, Viswanathan realised that he had the inclination and the potential for composing music. He thereafter joined S. M. Subbaiah Naidu and at times assisted him. He then joined C. R. Subburaman's musical troupe as a harmonium player. Here, he met T. K. Ramamoorthy and

T. G. Lingappa Thiruchirappalli Govindarajulu Lingappa (22 August 1927 – 5 February 2000) was an Indian music director who worked predominantly in Kannada language films. He also worked in Tamil and Telugu movies. He was the son of G. Govindarajulu Naidu wh ...

, the two leading violinists at that time. T. G. Lingappa also became a renowned music composer on his own in the 1950s.

Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy

In 1952, C. R. Subburaman died unexpectedly. Ramamoorthy and Viswanathan joined and completed the background music for the films Subburaman was working on, including '' Devadas'', ''

Chandirani ''Chandirani'' is a 1953 Indian swashbuckler film directed by Bhanumathi and produced by P. S. Ramakrishna Rao under the Bharani Studios banner. The film is shot simultaneously in Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi languages. It stars Bhanumathi, N. T ...

'' and '' Marumagal''. N. S. Krishnan knew them both fairly intimately and also their respective talents by then because of his close relationship with C.R.Subburaman, with whom he had worked earlier in several films. Meanwhile, Viswanathan also worked as the third composer for the film ''

Genova Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

'' where the other composers were M.S Gnanamani and T.K.Kalyanam. M.G.Ramachandran, the hero of the film Genova, had reservations about the 'raw, young music director' but the reservations lasted only until he listened to the songs. M.G.Ramachandran instantly recognised the arrival of a genius and the relationship lasted until the end of his career as a hero in 1977. Viswanathan and Ramamoorthy were asked to write the music for ''

Panam Panam may refer to: * ''Panam'' (film), a 1952 Tamil film *Panam (money), a type of currency issued in South India *Pan Am, a former American airline * ''Pan Am'' (TV series), a 2011 television series * University of Texas–Pan American, an Ameri ...

'', a 1952 film produced by ''A. L. Seenivasan'' and directed by N. S. Krishnan. Later the duo was asked to do the background score for the film ''

Ratha Kanneer ''Ratha Kanneer'' () is a 1954 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Krishnan–Panju, and written by Tiruvarur K. Thangaraj. Based on Thangaraj's play of the same name, the film stars M. R. Radha, Sriranjani and S. S. Rajendran, wi ...

'' by its music composer

C. S. Jayaraman Chidambaram Sundaram Jayaraman or C. S. Jayaraman (Tamil: சி. எஸ். ஜெயராமன்) (January 6, 1917 – January 29, 1995) was a noted actor, music director and a successful playback singer, whose numerous songs were feat ...

. The duo composed music for over 100 films, and they worked together from 1952 to 1965. On 16 June 1963 at a special function M. S. Viswanathan and T. K. Ramamoorthy were each given the title of ''Mellisai Mannar''(Kings of the Light Music). It was granted by

Sivaji Ganesan Villupuram Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy, better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001) was an Indian actor and producer. He was active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th century. Sivaji Gan ...

at the Madras Triplicane Cultural Academy. The function was supported and facilitated by the Hindu Group of Publications, especially Mr. T. M. Ramachandran, Director

C. V. Sridhar Chitthamoor Vijayaraghavalu Sridhar (22 July 1933 – 20 October 2008) was an Indian screenwriter and film director. He has directed nearly 60 films in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu Languages. Early life Sridhar hailed from Chitthamur, a villag ...

and Chitralaya Gopu. The duo parted in 1965 after release of '' Ayirathil Oruvan'' and since then they composed for films individually. After 29 years, they rejoined in 1995 for the Tamil film ''Engirundho Vanthan'' starring

Sathyaraj Rangaraj Subbiah (born 3 October 1954), professionally known as Sathyaraj, is an Indian actor, producer, director and a media personality who has predominantly appeares in Tamil cinema and Telugu Cinema. His 240 films also include works in Mala ...

. P. Susheela received her first National Award as Best Singer in 1969 for the song "Paal Polave" composed by MSV in the film Uyarndha Manidhan. Immediately after recording the song, MSV was so happy, he said to P. Susheela that she would be acclaimed as the Best Singer for the National Award for this song. The duo Viswanathan Ramamoorthy were awarded an honorary doctorate by the Sathyabama Deemed University in September 2006.

J. Jayalalithaa Jayaram Jayalalithaa (24 February 1948 – 5 December 2016) was an Indian politician and actress who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for more than fourteen years over six terms between 1991 and 2016. From 9 February 1989 to 5 December 2 ...

, the

Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu The chief minister of Tamil Nadu is the chief executive of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's '' de jure'' head, but '' de facto'' executive authority rests ...

, conferred the title ''Thirai Isai Chakravarthy'' (Emperors of the Cine Music) on Viswanathan and Ramamoorthy in August 2012 and presented them with 60 gold coins and a new car. Viswanathan Ramamoorthy duo were the first musicians to arrange a stage performance of the film singers and live orchestra in India. Until then only traditional Carnatic music and Hindustani classical music was performed live in any function. This became a trend setter and paved the way not only for the birth of many musical troops, but also for knowing, understanding and learning about the western instruments among millions of Indians.

Independent music director

M. S. Viswanathan began his solo career in 1965. Viswanathan is known for having incorporated various genres of world music into Indian cinema music. He used elements such as humming and whistling in his songs, and blended new trends such as western music and disco with Indian classical tunes. Some of his films as solo music composer include ''Idhayakani'', ''Gallatta Kalyanam'', ''Chandrodhyam'', ''Kannan En Kadhalan'', ''Dheiva Magan'', ''Nimrundhu Nil'', ''Rickshakaran'', ''Ulagam Sutrum Vaaliban'', and ''Urumai Kural''. M. S. Viswanathan also scored music for many non-film albums and for political campaigns. He also did playback singing, including 500 songs composed by himself and over 200 songs composed by music directors. He performed songs such as Sollathan Ninaikiren, Inbathilum Thunbathilun Sirithidu Magaley, Yenakkoru Kaathalai Irukindral, Sangamam and Vidaikodu Engal Nadey. Viswanathan worked with many different film directors, including B. R. Panthulu,

S. S. Vasan Subramaniam Srinivasan (4 January 1904 – 26 August 1969), popularly known by his screen name S. S. Vasan, was an Indian journalist, writer, advertiser, film producer, director and business tycoon. He is the founder of the Tamil-language maga ...

, B. S. Ranga, and

Krishnan–Panju R. Krishnan (1909–1997) and S. Panju (1915–1984), collectively referred to as Krishnan–Panju, were Indian film directors. The duo directed more than 50 films in South Indian languages and in Hindi. Early life R. Krishnan was born on 18 ...

in the 1950s, and in later decades with

, A. Bhimsingh,

Madhavan Madhavan may refer to: People * James Madhavan (died 1973), Fijian politician * Kavya Madhavan (born 1985), Indian actress * Mahesh Madhavan (born 1963/64), Indian businessman, CEO of Bacardi * N. S. Madhavan (born 1948), Indian writer * O. Mad ...

, T. R. Ramanna,

A. C. Trilogchander A. C. Thirulokachandar (11 June 1930 – 15 June 2016), also known as A. C. Tirulokchandar, was an Indian film director and screenwriter who worked mainly in Tamil films from the 1960s to 1988. He also directed a few films in Hindi and Telugu. ...

, K. Shankar, K. Balachander,

Muktha Srinivasan Muktha Srinivasan (1929 – 2018) was an Indian film director and producer. Personal life V. Srinivasan was born in Malapuram on 31 October 1929 in a Tamil Brahmin family. His parents were Venkatachariar and Chellamma. He followed all Brahmi ...

Chitralaya Gopu Sadagopan (better known as Chitralaya Gopu) is an Indian screenwriter and director who works in the Tamil cinema. He has written nearly 60 films, and directed 27 of them. He scripted dramatic films such as '' Moondru Dheivangal'' and '' Shanti N ...

Cho Ramaswamy Srinivasa Iyer Ramaswamy, better known as Cho Ramaswamy (5 October 1934 – 7 December 2016), was an Indian actor, comedian, character actor, editor, political satirist, playwright, film director and lawyer from Tamil Nadu. He was a p ...

, and K. S. Gopalakrishnan from the 1960s. From the 1970s directors such as

S. P. Muthuraman S. P. Muthuraman, also referred to as SPM, is an Indian film director who works in the Tamil film industry. He has directed 72 films in Tamil. He was one of the most successful commercial directors in Tamil cinema. Initially he worked mainly wi ...

Major Sundarrajan Srinivasan Sundarrajan (17 March 1925 – 28 February 2003), popularly known as Major Sundarrajan, was an Indian actor and director who performed predominantly in Tamil language films and plays. He was well known for his sophisticated and ...

Bhagyaraj Krishnasaamy Bhagyaraj (born 7 January 1953) is an Indian director, actor, screenwriter, music director, producer and politician active mainly in Tamil films. He has also written and directed Hindi and Telugu films and TV serials. As an actor, ...

D. Yoganand Dasari Yoganand (16 April 1922 – 23 November 2006) was a South Indian film director. Early life Yoganand was born in Madras under British India. His parents were Venkata Das, estate manager under Nawaab Raza Ali Khan of Machilipatnam, and La ...

, C. V. Rajendran,

P. Madhavan Palakrishnan Madhavan (1 January 1928 – 6 December 2003) was an Indian film director and producer in Tamil cinema in the 1960s and 1970s. Madhavan has directed 49 films and produced 39 films under the banner ''Arun Prasad Movies''. Career ...

, K. S. Prakash Rao,

Vietnam Veedu Sundaram Vietnam Veedu Sundaram was an Indian playwright, screenwriter and film director. He wrote films such as Gauravam, Vietnam Veedu, Gnana Oli, Satyam, Grihapravesam, Justice Gopinath, Annan Oru Koyil, Naan Yen Pirandhen and Naalai Namadhe. He a ...

N. T. Rama Rao Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (28 May 1923 – 18 January 1996), often referred to by his initials NTR, was an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who served as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for seven years over three terms. He starred ...

, and I. V. Sasi frequently worked with Viswanathan; later, in the 1980s and 1990s, new directors such as

Visu Meenakshisundaram Ramasamy Viswanathan (1 July 1945 – 22 March 2020), best known by his stage name Visu, was an Indian writer, director, stage, film and television actor and talk-show host. Visu initially worked as an assistant to director K ...

, Mouli,

Komal Swaminathan Komal Swaminathan (born 27 January 1935 in Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India, died 1995) was a congressional activist in his early years, a Tamil theater personality, film director and journalist. Early life Swaminathan joined the school of S. ...

, and K. Raghunath collaborated with Viswanathan regularly. He worked with a number of singers, both younger artists and more established ones, including P Leela, P. Susheela, L. R. Eswari,

T. M. Soundararajan Thoguluva Meenatchi Iyengar Soundararajan (24 March 1923 – 25 May 2013), popularly known as TMS, was an Indian Carnatic musician and a playback singer in Tamil cinema for over six and a half decades. He sang over 10,138 songs from 3,162 films ...

, and the Malayalam singer Jayachandran. He is also considered responsible for making singers like

S. P. Balasubrahmanyam Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam (4 June 1946 – 25 September 2020), also referred to as SPB or SP Balu or Balu, was an Indian playback singer, television presenter, actor, music composer, dubbing artist, and film producer. He is wid ...

and

Vani Jairam Vani Jairam (born as Kalaivani on 30 November 1945), also credited as Vani Jayaram, is an Indian singer. She is best known as a playback singer in South Indian cinema. Vani's career started in 1971 and has spanned over five decades. She has do ...

, R. Balasaraswathi,

S. Janaki Sistla Janaki (born 23 April 1938) is an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer from Andhra Pradesh. She is referred to respectfully as "Janaki Amma" and Nightingale of South India. She is one of the best-known playback singers in ...

, A. L. Raghavan,

Sirkazhi Govindarajan Sirkazhi Govindarajan (19 January 1933 – 24 March 1988) was an Indian Tamil Carnatic vocalist and a leading playback singer of Indian cinema. Early life Govindarajan, was born on 19 January 1933 at Sirkazhi (a small town in present day May ...

and

K. J. Yesudas Kattassery Joseph Yesudas (born 10 January 1940) is an Indian playback singer and musician who sings Indian classical, devotional and film songs. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of Indian Music and also as ...

popular names. He gave

Swarnalatha Swarnalatha (29 April 1973 – 12 September 2010) was an Indian playback singer. She is considered to be as Humming Queen Of India and Nightingale Of Tamil Cinema. In a career spanning almost 22 years (from 1987 until her death), she recorded ...

her first job as a playback singer when she was 14 years old. MSV has given great life by giving opportunity and support for many musicians, lyricists, singers etc. Lyricist Vaali quoted in 1984, "Until I met Viswanathan Sir, I had no money to have any food. But from the moment I met Viswanathan Sir I had no time to have food". His notable musical works from 1980s to 1990s included - Polladhavan, Avan Aval Adhu, Billa, Mazhalai Pattalam, Varumayin Niram Sigappu (1980), Antha Ezhu Natkal (1981), Kizhvanam Sivakkam (1981), Thaneer Thaneer (1981), Thillu Mullu (1981), Sathyam Sundaram (1981), Simla Special (1982), Pokkiri Raja (1982), Saranalayam (1983), Mridanga Chakravarthi (1983), Puyalkadantha Boomi (1984),Idanilangal (1985), Sugamana Ragangal, Vasantha Ragam (1986), Sattam Oru Vilayattu (1987),Samrat Ashok (1992),Manikantana Mahime (1993), Vetri Vinayagar (1996), Amma Ammayiamma (1998) M. S. Viswanathan went on to act in Tamil feature films after 1995, notably appearing in

Kaadhal Mannan ''Kaadhal Mannan(AJITH)'' () is a 1998 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by Saran, which stars Ajith Kumar and Maanu. The film also saw music composer M. S. Viswanathan make his debut in a supporting role, whilst Vivek, Karan a ...

after being convinced to do so by actor Vivek and Director Saran while he also starred in Kamal Haasan's ''Kaathala Kaathala'' and Karthik's ''Rojavanam''. He also made appearances in other films and television series like Kalki, since 1995. Since 1996, Viswanathan focused on composing devotional music and serving as a judge in Malayalam and Tamil TV reality shows. He collaborated with

Ilaiyaraaja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan, 3 June 1943) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, instrumentalist, lyricist and singer, popular for his works in Indian Cinema, prominently in Tamil films. Reputed to be one o ...

in 'Mella Thiranthathu Kathathavu', 'Senthamizh Paatu' 'Vishwa Thulsi' and 'Senthamizh Selvan' starring Prashanth. He sang the song "Vidai Kodu Engal Naadae" for 2002 Tamil film "Kannathil Muthamittal" composed by A.R.Rahman. Then in 2013 he sang for the film Neelam – the song called 'Alayae o Alayae' and it was recorded in the supervision of music composer

Satish Chakravarthy Satish Chakravarthy is an Indian music composer, who mainly produces film scores and soundtracks in the Tamil film industry. He composed music for the films, '' Leelai'' and ''Kanimozhi''. Career Satish Chakravarthy graduated from the Nationa ...

. According to director Kumar G. Venkatesh, this was the last song sung by M S V. He in 2013 composed music for the film ''

Thillu Mullu ''Thillu Mullu'' () is a 1981 Indian Tamil-language comedy film directed by K. Balachander and written by Visu. A remake of the 1979 Hindi film ''Gol Maal'', it stars Rajinikanth, with Thengai Srinivasan, Nagesh, Poornam Viswanathan, Sowcar J ...

'', with Yuvan Shankar Raja While M. S. Viswanathan composed the tunes in the 2013

film,

Yuvan Shankar Raja Yuvan Shankar Raja or Abdul Haliq (born 31 August 1979) is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer and singer-songwriter. He mainly scores music for Tamil films. Considered a versatile composer, he is particularly known for his use of We ...

orchestrated and recorded them. He sang the song 'Saami Namba saami' penned by

Snehan Snehan (born Sivaselvam) is a Tamil poet, politician, lyricist, and actor who has worked in the Tamil film industry. In the year 2018 he entered politics with Makkal Needhi Maiam and contested in the Lok Sabha election. In 2021 Tamil Nadu Legis ...

for the film "Mannar Valaikuda", composed by S.Siva Pragasam. Rajnikanth said in an interview about M. S. Viswanathan, "You will rarely find someone like MSV in any industry. He lived life like a selfless saint, free from jealousy and lies. He was behind the success of legends like MGR and Sivaji. If not for MSV, the careers of filmmaker Balachander, lyricists Vaali and Kannadasan wouldn't have tasted huge success."

Discography

Death

On 27 June 2015, Viswanathan was admitted to Fortis Malar hospital in

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of ...

with breathing difficulties. He had been undergoing a treatment at the hospital for some time. He died at on 14 July 2015 due to age-related ailments, three weeks after he had turned 87. He was cremated with full state honours at Besant Nagar Electric Crematorium.

Awards

M. S. Viswanathan has won many awards include the following: *

Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South The Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine o ...

* PBS Puraskar Award presented by Aruna Nithya Gopal Foundation awarded on 29 September 2013 at Ravindra Bharati * Honorary doctorate from Tirunelveli-based Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (MSU) on 3 January 2013 * Paramacharya Award, meaning 'The Ultimate Guru' in 2006. * Doctorate conferred by

Sathyabama University Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology (SIST), formerly Sathyabama University, is a deemed to be university, situated at Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It was founded in 1987 as Sathyabama Engineering College by the late Jeppiaar and re ...

in 2006. * Won Gold Remi Award for the best music score for movie ''

Vishwa Thulasi ''Vishwa Thulasi'' is a 2004 Tamil-language drama film directed by Sumathy Ram, starring Mammooty and Nandita Das. This film's score and soundtrack were composed by Ilayaraaja and M. S. Viswanathan. The film was notable for having a female direc ...

'' in 2005. * Isai Sangam honoured him with Isai Peraringnar, meaning "Great Scholar in Music", in 2004. *

Kalaimamani The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the ''Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram'' (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government o ...

– A jewel for art – from State Govt of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil languag ...

1970-71 * Seventh Kamukura Award – given by Kerala Cultural Ministry. * 'Sangeetha Saraswathi' by Poojya Sri Guruji Viswanath of Manava Seva Kendra. * 2013 -

Asiavision Awards Asiavision Awards have been held annually since 2006 to honor the artistes and technicians of Indian cinema and television & is organized under the leadership of renowned journalist Nissar Syed. More than 40,000 people across United Arab Emirates ...

- Lifetime Achievement Award * 1968 - Lakshmi Kalyanam - Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director * ''

Nandi Award for Best Music Director The Nandi Award for Best Music Director winners since 1977. References {{DEFAULTSORT:Nandi Award For Best Music Director Music Director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a p ...

'' for Naalaga Endaro (1978)(in

) *

Tamil Nadu State Film Honorary Award The Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Honorary Award given by the ''Tamil Nadu State Government'' as part of its annual Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Tamil cinema personalities who contributed in developing the Tamil cinema in India. Arignar ...

- Kannadasan Award in 2002. *

Kerala State Film Award for Best Music Director The Kerala State Film Award The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have b ...

- ''

Chandrakantham ''Chandrakantham'' is a 1974 Indian Malayalam film, directed by Sreekumaran Thampi and produced by Rajashilpi. The film stars Prem Nazir, Jayabharathi, Adoor Bhasi and Balakrishnan in the lead roles. The film has musical score by M. S. Viswana ...

'', ''

Jeevikkan Marannupoya Sthree ''Jeevikkan Marannupoya Sthree'' is a 1974 Indian Malayalam film, directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan and produced by K. S. R. Moorthy. The film stars Sheela, Vijayasree, Mohan Sharma and Sankaradi in the lead roles. The film had musical score by ...

'' in 1974 * Gnana Kala Bharathi by Bharat Kalachar 1999 * Lifetime achievement award by Soorya Film and stage Association Kerala 2002 *Dr.Sivaji Ganesan Memorial award by Sivaji Prabhu Charitable trust 2005 *SICA Lifetime achievement award by SICA South India Cinematographers association 2008 * Isai Nayagan by Bharathi Abu Dhabi 2009

References

Elappully Mourns - MSV's early Life - The Hindu

External links

M. S. Viswanathan's official website

*
MSV as BalaMurugan in "Kannagi (1942)
See him at 00:20 and 00:45 {{DEFAULTSORT:Viswanathan 1928 births Indian male film actors Telugu film score composers Kerala State Film Award winners 2015 deaths Malayalam film score composers Tamil film score composers Tamil musicians Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners Musicians from Palakkad Singers from Kerala Malayali people Indian male playback singers 20th-century Indian composers Film musicians from Kerala 21st-century Indian composers 20th-century Indian singers 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian male actors Indian male film score composers 20th-century Indian male singers 21st-century Indian male singers 21st-century Indian singers