India, June 10 -- The Indian film industry seems kind of in deep mourning after the passing of veteran filmmaker and actor P. Bharathiraja in Chennai at the age of 84. People have been calling him "Iyakkunar Imayam," or like the Everest of Directors, and his death feels like the closing of a remarkable chapter in Indian cinema without any real warning.

For decades Bharathiraja was admired as a pioneering voice that altered the manner in which rural life was shown on screen. His narratives left a lasting trace on generations of filmmakers and artists. Once the news of his demise started to spread, tributes came in from everywhere inside the industry, and many kept remembering him as a true legend, someone who reshaped the very language of...