AVM Saravanan, veteran Tamil producer, passes away at 86 in Chennai

Veteran Tamil cinema producer and owner of AVM Studios in Chennai, M. Saravanan, died on Thursday morning (December 4, 2025) due to age-related illness, his family said. He was 86.
Born in 1939, Saravanan, also known as AVM Saravanan, along with his brother, M Balasubramanian, assisted their father, veteran A.V. Meiyappan, in managing AVM studio since the 1950s.
Widely considered as one of the most successful Tamil Saravanan produced several notable Tamil cinema hits, including Naanum Oru Penn, Murattu Kaalai, Sakalakala Vallavan, Uyarndha Ullam, Manithan, Samsaram Adhu Minsaram, Minsara Kanavu, Sivaji: The Boss, Ayan.
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In the 2010’s the AVM banner substantially reduced its feature film offering. In 2022, the banner bankrolled its first web series, Tamil Rockerz, for Sony LIV.
The news about Saravanan’s death has sent shockwaves across the film industry. It is to be noted that the producer celebrated his 86th birthday just yesterday. He is survived by his son MS Guhan, also a producer, and daughter Usha.