Writer, actor and director Janardhan Maharshi’s feature documentary Vishwadarshanam was recently selected to be screened at the South Asian International Film Festival and it also won a special mention at the Dada Saheb Phalke Award in the special story category recently.

Janardhana Maharshi had earlier directed Devastanam and actor-director K Vishwanath played a prominent role in the film. A die-hard fan of the director, Maharshi during his interaction on the sets of the movie, decided to do something as a tribute to Vishwanath.

Meeting the maestro Janardhan Maharshi with K Vishwanath  

“Since I can’t make a film like K Vishwanath, I directed a film on him. There is an analysis of films like Sagara Sangamam and Shankarabharanam in this documentary, as to how it inspired me and society. Post Sagara Sangamam around four lakh people sought admission in dance schools or from private tutors and hundreds of music and dance schools sprouted all over united Andhra Pradesh,” he shares. The 90-minute documentary also shows the importance of Hinduism, its culture and rituals like stotras and puja,” states the director.

The documentary traces the story of K Vishwanath from 1920 onwards and features his 87-year-old wife as well. Maharshi elaborates, “Vishwadarsanam glorifies cinema and I have likened it to the 12th avatar of God.”

One knows that K Vishwanath’s stories have titles beginning with ‘S’, but Maharshi says that trend started only with Sirisiri Muvva. “His earlier films had titles like Nindu Hridayalu, Nindu Dampatalu, Undamma Bottupedatha, Kalam Marindi and more. Now that the tribute to his hero is out, Janardhana Maharshi’s next outing will be Pibare Ramarasam, a film on rakshasas in Lanka narrating Rama’s story to Sita,” says Janardhana Maharshi.