Centenarian Kannada film producer GN Lakshmipathy, who had funded many notable movies in Sandalwood, passed away on Thursday, May 16. He was aged 104 and breathed his last due to age-related ailments.
He was born at Gubbi in Tumakkuru district. His family had close links with Gubbi Veeranna, a pioneer in Kannada theatre. Having grown up closely watching the legend, he naturally developed an interest in making quality movies and made memorable films from his banner of Maruti Movies.
GN Lakshmipathy turned producer with Dr Rajkumar and Jayanthi-starrer Devara Makkalu in 1970. He had bankrolled a total of seven Kannada films.N Lakshminarayan's Uyyale, Girish Karnad and Shankar Nag's Ondanondu Kaladalli and MS Sathyu's Chitegu Chinte were some of the films that he had produced.
His movies were also screened at international film festivals. His contribution to the film industry was recognised by the Karnataka government and was honoured with Dr Vishnuvardhan Award.
Lakshmipathy was credited with introducing Shankar Nag and Jnanpith laureate Girish Karnad to films. His death has been condoled by the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce. He is survived by two sons (L Ramakrishna and L Gopinath) and two daughters (Vijayalakshmi Sreenivasan and Prema Sundar).
