A.V.M. Saravanan, veteran film producer and managing force behind the iconic AVM Studios, passed away early Thursday morning at the age of 86 due to age-related ailments.

He had been under treatment for several months and breathed his last at 5.30 a.m. at his residence inside the AVM Studio premises in Chennai.

Saravanan, the third son of legendary filmmaker A.V. Meiyappan Chettiar, took over the reins of AVM Productions in 1958 and went on to become one of the most influential figures in Tamil cinema. After Meiyappan Chettiar, it was Saravanan who steered the company into its most successful decades, producing films that shaped the careers of major stars and strengthened AVM’s reputation as one of India’s oldest and most trusted production houses.

Under his leadership, AVM produced sev

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