Tamil cinema legend Bharathiraja hospitalized in Chennai due to respiratory problems. Doctors confirm that his condition is stable and improving. Read the latest updates and receive good wishes.
Legendary Tamil filmmaker Bharathiraja, who recently appeared in Thudarum (2025), is currently under medical care after being hospitalized in Chennai late last month. Doctors have confirmed that the veteran director’s condition is stable and improving.
The 81-year-old director was admitted to MGM Healthcare in Aminjikkarai on December 27 due to breathing difficulties. In the days following his hospitalization, rumors about his death circulated online, prompting the hospital to issue an official statement.
“He is receiving appropriate medical care in the intensive care unit. His clinical condition is stable and our team of medical experts is closely monitoring him. With adequate support, his vital parameters remain within normal limits,” the hospital bulletin said. “Further updates will be communicated as deemed necessary.”
Director Bharathiraja had reportedly been living in Malaysia for the past few months for treatment and to stay with his daughter before returning to Chennai. He had been dealing with breathing problems prior to his hospitalization.
The health scare comes during a particularly emotional period for the filmmaker. In March 2025, she lost her son, actor-director Manoj Bharathiraja, after cardiac arrest. Talking about the director’s emotional state, his brother Jayaraj Periyamayathevar said, “Anna (elder brother) has not been well for a few months now. He has not been able to cope with the loss of his son. He often looks at Manoj’s photos and breaks down. We even took him to Malaysia, hoping that a change of place would comfort him and heal him. But even there, his thoughts kept returning to his late son.”
Bharathiraja is widely considered one of the most influential figures in Tamil cinema. He ushered in a wave of realistic storytelling during the 1970s and 1980s and has directed classics like 16 Vayathinile, Kizhakke Pogum Rail, Sigappu Rojakkal, Nizhalgal, Mudhal Mariyathai and Kizhakku Cheemayile.
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