"Deeply saddened...": Keerthy Suresh mourns the demise of veteran Tamil film producer AVM Saravanan

Taking to Instagram Story, Keerthy wrote, "Deeply saddened and shocked to hear about the loss of AVM Saravanan sir. The legacy you have created will always live on sir."

AVM Saravanan passed away on Thursday morning at the age of 86.

Saravanan was the son of the renowned director-producer AV Meiyappan, a pioneer of Tamil cinema who founded the iconic AVM Studios, one of India's oldest surviving film studios and a celebrated landmark in Chennai.

Following his passing, tributes poured in as Chief Minister MK Stalin, along with Rajinikanth, KR Vijaya, Sivakumar, Vishal, and Suriya, paid their final respects.

Speaking to the media after paying his respects to the late film producer, Rajinikanth described Saravanan as a "wonderful person," adding that he worked on 9 films under the AVM banner, all of which became major successes.

He said, "He was a wonderful person. I acted in nine films under the AVM banner, and all of them were hits. He had immense faith in me and stood by me during my difficult times."Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin was among those who paid respects to the departed icon of Tamil cinema.

Taking to his X account, Stalin wrote, "Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of A.V.M. Saravanan, one of the senior-most stalwarts of the Tamil film industry and the face of the historic and renowned AVM Studios. Just as the AVM company played a crucial role in shaping the course of Tamil cinema, Mr. Saravanan's contribution in shaping the course of the AVM company itself is equally immeasurable." (ANI)