Kochi, Aug 27 (IANS): Ace Malayalam film director M. Mohan breathed his last at a private hospital here on Tuesday.

Known for his films in the eighties which are talked about even now, the 76-year-old filmmaker had been ailing for a while.

The highlight of all his films was that he banked on ordinary actors and their acting talents to take the films to the hearts of the family audience.

In a directorial career that started in 1978 and came to an end in 1999, he had done around 25 Malayalam films, most of which were received well at the box office.

His notable films include Pakshe, Isabella, Oru Katha Oru Nunnakkatha, Idavela, Vida Parayum Munpe, Randu Penkuttikal and Shalini Ente Koottukari.

He was equally gifted in scripting and he began his career under legends like Krishnan Nair, Padmarajan, and was largely instrumental in turning Innocent, his neighbour, from a producer to an actor.

Innocent later went on to be the most popular comedian and character artiste and this star status enabled him to win as a CPI-M candidate from the Chalakudy Lok Sabha seat in 2014, when he trounced Congress veteran P. C. Chacko but lost to Benny Behanan at the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Innocent passed away last year after battling cancer.

Yesteryear's actress Jalaja, who acted in several films of Mohan, said: “He shone well when there were no superstars in the industry and gave a lot of importance to the finer aspects of filmmaking, especially the story. The songs in his films still render very close to many and even now I am asked about it by people.”

Whenever Mohan joined hands with acclaimed screenwriter John Paul, the end result was a box office hit.

Another aspect of his films was that it was a mixture of both art and commercial ones, carefully and tactfully woven into the script.

His last rites will be held on Wednesday in his home district Ernakulam, after his son arrives.