DMK Chief M Karunanidhi Passes Away At The Age Of 94

The veteran politician and DMK chief M. Karunanidhi passed away on August 7 at 94 . Karunanidhi was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Kauvery Hospital last week late in the night after his blood pressure dipped.

Karunanidhi’s health condition reached worrisome levels last week with all the family members and senior party leaders rushing to the hospital as he developed some breathing trouble. Karunanidhi, the five times Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, never lost an assembly election in the 13 times he had contested. He who was suffering from fever due to urinary tract infection, and was earlier undergoing treatment at his Gopalapuram residence in Chennai.

For the past two years, the DMK president did not make any public appearance owing to his ill-health, but he still held a top post in the Dravidian party. Karunanidhi had not been keeping well since October 2016.

Before turning to politics, he was a successful writer for films. Karunanidhi’s first film as a screenwriter was for the MGR starrer, Rajakumari, in 1947 while his last was Ponnar Shankar, starring Prashanth in 2011. Parasakthi the movie in which Sivaji Ganesan made his debut was written by Karunanidhi. The film was noted for its dialogues and it features the famous ‘Odinen Odinen’ dialogue. It was a film that acquired cult status in Tamil Cinema, and Karunanidhi went from strength to strength after that, delivery many memorable movies.