M.S. Viswanathan was born on June 24, 1928 in Palakkad, Madras Presidency, British India as Manayangath Subramanian Viswanathan. He is known for his work on Kannathil Muthamittal (2002), Madrasapattinam (2010) and Thillu Mullu (2013). He was married to Janaki. He died on July 14, 2015 in Chennai, India.