Veteran Malayalam filmmaker Antony Basker Raj also known as AB Raj passed away yesterday on the 23rd of August due to old age-related issues. AB Raj was 95 years old who happens to be the father of popular film actress Saranya Ponnvanan. AB Baskar was active in involved in filmmaking between 1951 to 1986. He was in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) for eleven years and during that time, he had directed 11 Sinhala movies between 1951 to 1960. Then when he moved back to India, he started working on Malayalam film industry and has directed over 65 native movies in Kerala. He has also directed by movies in Tamil namely Thulli Odum Pullimaan (1971) and Kai Neraya Kasu (1974). It must also be noted that AB Raj was the Second Unit Assistant Director of The Bridge on the River Kwai by David Lean. He was initially working an assistant to Jagtap Nottani before that. AB Raj's wife Sarojini passed away in the year 1993 and the couple had three kids – Jayapal, Manoj and Saranya Ponnvanan. 
 
AB Raj was born in the year 1929 as the fourth child of Bhagyantha Pilla and Rajamma, a couple who belongs to the native of Alappuzha. AB Raj studied in various institutes in Tamil Nadu but he did not complete his education and ventured into films without completing his academics. Raj's first movie was 'Kaliyalla Kalyanam' and then he went on to direct several successful films in Malayalam. He is one of the very few directors who had a very good success streak during his period. Ormikkan Omanikkan, Manase Ninakku Mangalam, Thaalam Thettiya Tharattu, Kazhu Maram, Adima Changala, Agni Saram, Kazhukan, Avakaasham, Aval Oru Devaalayam, Seemantha Puthran, Oomana Kunju, Soorya Vamsam, Football Champion, Marunnattil Oru Malayali were some of his blockbuster films in Malayalam. Filmmakers like Hariharan, IV Sasi, P Chandrakumar, and Rajasekharan were assistants of AB Raj. We express our deepest condolences to Saranya Ponvannan and her family at their loss.