Well-known Tamil producer M. Saravanan, who owned the famous AVM Productions, died on Thursday morning in Chennai. He was 86 years old and suffered from age-related health issues. His body will be available for public viewing at AVM Studios, and he is remembered as one of Kollywood’s respected figures.

Saravanan, born in 1939, was the son of AV Meiyappan, the person who started AVM Productions. He carried on his father’s work, making many successful films with his brother M. Balasubramaniam. He also held the position of Sheriff of Madras in 1986.

After taking control of the studio and production company in the 1950s, M. Saravanan played a big part in growing its fame beyond just Tamil films. Over the next five decades, AVM Productions became known for its filmmaking approach. The company produced many hit movies in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi.

Some of the prominent films made by AVM under Saravanan’s guidance include Leader, Sivaji, Gemini, Naanum Oru Penn, Samsaram Adhu Minsaram, and Ayan. He earned two Filmfare awards as a producer. His son, MS Guhan, is now in charge of the company’s production work.

After 2010, AVM Productions stopped funding feature films and began creating web series. Following the sad news of his passing, messages of sympathy quickly came from people across the film industry and political circles for M. Saravanan.