Meenakshisundaram Ramasamy Viswanathan (1 July 1945 – 22 March 2020), known by his stage name Visu, was an Indian screenwriter, film director, actor and television talk-show host associated primarily with Tamil theatre, cinema and television. Over a career spanning several decades, he became a familiar figure in Tamil popular culture, recognised for family-oriented dramas that drew heavily on his theatre background.
| Full name | Meenakshisundaram Ramasamy Viswanathan |
|---|---|
| Stage name | Visu |
| Born | 1 July 1945 |
| Died | 22 March 2020 |
| Occupations | Screenwriter, film director, stage, film and television actor, talk-show host |
| Primary language | Tamil |
| Notable early film | Kudumbam Oru Kadambam (1981) |
| Mentor | K. Balachander |
Visu began his career in the Tamil film industry as an assistant to the noted director K. Balachander, a formative association that shaped his approach to character-driven storytelling. He subsequently graduated to directing films of his own.
Visu was active in Tamil stage drama, and his theatrical sensibility informed his later work in cinema and television. He wrote screenplays that often centred on family relationships and middle-class domestic life.
After his apprenticeship with K. Balachander, Visu turned to film direction, helming a number of Tamil films.
Visu also worked as an actor on stage, screen and television. His first notable acting role in films was in Kudumbam Oru Kadambam (1981), directed by S. P. Muthuraman.
In addition to his work in cinema and theatre, Visu hosted talk shows on Tamil television, where he engaged with social and family-related themes.
Visu occupied a distinctive position in Tamil entertainment by combining the disciplines of theatre, screenwriting, direction, acting and television hosting. His association with K. Balachander placed him within a lineage of Tamil filmmakers known for socially engaged, dialogue-driven cinema, and his subsequent independent work extended that tradition into popular family drama.