Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay pays tribute to the mortal remains of late film director and actor K Bhagyaraj, at his residence, in Chennai, on June 27, 2026, and consoles his wife Poornima Bhagyaraj. Photo: @TNDIPRNEWS/X via PTI
K Bhagyaraj’s vision lives on: Family fulfils late filmmaker’s wish, donates his eyes
Following his demise on June 27, family and medical teams act swiftly to fulfil the veteran thespian’s registered wish to give light to the visually impaired
As the film fraternity mourned the demise of legendary filmmaker, actor and producer Krishnaswamy Bhagyaraj, who left a powerful impact on Tamil cinema, local politician Tamilisai Soundararajan praised the former for donating his eyes.
Also read: How Bhagyaraj diverted Tamil cinema’s comedy track
In a post on X, the former governor of Telangana said it was during paying her final tributes to the late thespian that he heard about him donating his eyes.
'No matter how much it is praised'
“The thought that even after one's own demise, light must be given to those who have lost their sight... no matter how much it is praised, it is well-deserved,” Soundararajan, who has also served as the chief of the Tamil Nadu chapter of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said.
She also said that such gestures by noted personalities would inspire the common people to do the same. Soundararajan added that the current state of eye donation initiatives is not very encouraging in the country.
Also read: Four films, four genres: How K Bhagyaraj created cinema history in 1981
“In India, one lakh to two lakh people per year require corneas through eye donation, but in the country, only 45 thousand to 50 thousand corneas are obtained... through eye donation,” she said.
Family informed eye hospital
According to a report by News18, Bhagyaraj had registered to donate his eyes a few years ago. His family honoured his wish and informed an eye hospital. A team of doctors immediately went to his house in the Nungambakkam area of Chennai, where his body was kept for people to pay their farewell, to carry out the required procedure. His eyes will be used to help people with impaired vision.
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Bhagyaraj, often hailed as the "King of Screenplay", produced work that kept the audience mesmerised over several decades, passed away on Saturday (June 27) morning after a sudden cardiac arrest. He was 73. He is survived by his wife and two children.
Top political leaders of the state, including Chief Minister Joseph Vijay and former CM MK Stalin visited Bhagyaraj's house to pay him tributes.