Legendary filmmaker K S Sethumadhavan passes away
Thiruvananthapuram(PTI): Award-winning legendary filmmaker K S Sethumadhavan, who helmed a handful of iconic and path-breaking movies in Malayalam, died at his residence in Chennai, film industry sources said here on Friday.
He was 90 and was not keeping well for some time due to age-related ailments, they said.
A multi-time recipient of the national and state awards, Sethumadhavan directed over 60 movies in five languages during his career spanning many decades since early 1960s.
Besides Malayalam, he directed movies in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi.
Evergreen movies like "Odayil Ninnu", "Anubhavangal Palichakal", "Oppol", "Aranazhikaneeram", "Achanum Bappayum" and so on, which are considered landmark films in Malayalam, were the contributions of Sethumadhavan.
Born in 1931 in northern Palakkad district of Kerala, he entered into tinsel town as an assistant director to K Ramnath.
After launching himself as an independent filmmaker through the Sinhalese movie "Veeravijaya" (1960), he directed his first Malayalam film "Jnana Sundari".
It was Sethumadhavan who introduced the iconic Kamal Haasan as a child actor in Malayalam through the movie "Kannum Karalum" and in the lead role through his film "Kanyakumari".
He was known for giving silver screen adaptations for iconic works in Malayalam literature.
'Venalkinavukal,' a 1991 movie based on the script of Jnanpith laureate M T Vasudevan Nair, was his last outing in Malayalam.
Sethumadhavan received the J C Daniel Award, the highest honour in the film sector instituted by the Kerala government, in the year 2010.
He is survived by wife Valsala and three children. People from various walks of life condoled the death of the veteran filmmaker.
In his message, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the demise of Sethumadhavan was a loss not only to the film industry but also to the entire cultural arena of the southern state.
Stating that he was a director who introduced an innovative approach in the Malayalam industry, Vijayan also said Sethumadhavan's role in making movies acceptable to all sections of the society is noteworthy.
The filmmaker also paid attention in making the themes of Malayalam movies, which had once been confined to the stories of Gods and kings, to be more "human-centric", the Chief Minister added.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
