Tamil cinema’s leading producer M Saravanan, whose gentle demeanor and hard-working nature shaped many talents, died in Chennai on Thursday (December 4, 2025) due to age-related ailments. He died a day after his 86th birthday.
Saravanan was the son of renowned director-producer AV Meiyappan, considered one of the pioneers of Tamil cinema, who founded the popular AVM Studios, one of the oldest surviving studios in the country and a landmark of Chennai to this day.
Saravanan was known for carrying forward the rich cinematic legacy left by his father. We can keep taking names of his superhit films – like Uyarndha Ullam, Samsaram Adhu Minsaram, Murattu Kalai, Minsara Kanavu, Gemini, Shivaji: Boss And Aayan – But despite his stellar achievements and working with leading superstars of Tamil cinema, Saravanan remained a simple-minded person, a quality that endeared him to people of all ages.
At any film festival, you can see Saravanan dressed all in white and with folded hands, no matter who he is talking to. This sense of humility was a quality that Saravanan learned from his father; in their own words The HinduHe once said, “In those days, at the top of all the success stories of filmmakers were humble figures – my father, SS Vasan and Nagi Reddy.”
Rajinikanth with AVM Saravanan in a file photo in 2007. Photo Credit: Vedhan M
Superstar Rajinikanth worked with Saravanan’s AVM Productions on more than half a dozen film projects; His ShivajiDirected by Shankar, is one of his biggest hits. In fact, Rajinikanth is said to have received only Rs 1,001 as advance payment before starting the journey ShivajiA sign of their confidence in the production house.
Kamal Haasan remains a close associate of the AVM family even today, with the actor often recounting how a large part of his childhood was spent on the sets there; His first film as a child artiste, Kalathur Kannamma, Was supported by him, as well as many projects after becoming a big star.
Many other Tamil stars, including Suriya and Vikram, delivered some of their biggest hits under the AVM Productions banner; movies like Aayan And Gemini These films are considered historical films in the career of these stars.
The producer also shared ties with distributors in Tamil Nadu and elsewhere due to the good performance of his content. If a film did not perform as well as expected, Saravanan would personally call the distributors and compensate for it in his next project, a quality that endeared him to many.
Saravanan spoke from the heart and wrote long letters, a quality that is very different from today’s world of fast-paced likes and comments. Actually, when I wrote an article on Rajinikanth Raja Chinna Roja I will turn 30 in 2019 The HinduIn a piece that explained the making of the first Tamil film to use animated characters with live actors, Saravanan wrote a long letter addressed to me. He was thrilled that we had chosen to celebrate this particular film of which he had fond memories, not only because it had a kid-friendly song, but also because we highlighted how AVM Studios was prepared for tracks like this, in a time long before animation and AI.
Read also: Inside the new AVM Heritage Museum in Chennai
past ahead
Under Saravanan, AVM Productions flourished and produced hit films. The physical studio space in Vadapalani, which has been his home for many years since he moved from Karaikudi, gradually became a landmark; Not only has it served as the location for many popular films, but it has also become an integral part of the cultural fabric of the city.
M Saravanan with Aruna Guhan and Aparna Guhan in a 2013 file photo. Photo courtesy: N. Ramakrishnan
People passing through Vadapalani would point to the “AVM Globe” on the gate and speculate about the excitement inside the house. In fact, under Saravanan and later his son, MS Guhan, the studio came up with new offerings to keep up with the times. In 2022, he produced his first web-series, tamil rockerzA project backed by Guhan’s daughters and AM Productions partners Aruna Guhan and Aparna Guhan Shyam.
Keeping up with its motto of keeping the past alive, the studio today also houses the AVM Heritage Museum, where the history of cinema comes alive. A collection of cars and bikes are displayed here, some of which have been used in films, as well as equipment and machinery used in the cinema production business in the past, providing visitors with a rare insight into how films were made in olden times.
Saravanan leaves behind a rich legacy for his family and the film fraternity. More importantly, he leaves behind the motto that his production house followed for years: Muyarchi Thiruvinai Akum (“Perseverance leads to success”).
published – December 04, 2025 12:11 PM IST