Veteran music director S P Venkatesh passes away at 70

Music director S P Venkatesh passed away on Tuesday at 70. He breathed his last at his home in Chennai. He began his film career in 1971 as a guitarist alongside music director Vijayabhaskar. In 1975, he established himself as an assistant music director in Kannada films. He made his debut as an independent music director in 1981 with the Telugu film ‘Prema Yuddham’.

In Malayalam cinema, Venkatesh worked with composers including Raghavan Master as an assistant music director. He also assisted in background scores for ‘T. P. Balagopalan M.A., directed by Sathyan Anthikad. After this, he became actively involved as a music director in Malayalam films. Filmmakers Dennis Joseph and Thampi Kannanthanam helped bring him greater recognition in the Malayalam industry. Thampi Kannanthanam’s ‘Rajavinte Makan’, with Venkatesh’s songs and background score, left a lasting impression on Malayalam audiences.

Through the 1990s, SP Venkatesh shone brightly in Malayalam cinema. He was part of numerous hit films including ‘Rajavinte Makan’, ‘Vilambaram’, ‘Vazhiyorakazhchakal’, ‘Douthyam’, ‘Bhoomiyile Rajakumaaran’, ‘Vyooham’, ‘Kuttettan’, ‘Appu’ (background score), ‘Mahayanam’ (background score), ‘Naadodi’, ‘Kaazhchakkappuram’, ‘Ennodishtam Koodamo’, ‘Kilukkam’, ‘Johnnie Walker’, ‘Devasuram’ (background score), ‘Dhruvam’, ‘Valsalyam’, ‘Paithrukam’, ‘Sainyam’, ‘Sopanam’, ‘Minnaram’, ‘Mannar Mathai Speaking’, ‘Manthrikam’, and ‘Sphadikam’, among many others.