BANGALORE: Film director Bindinganavile Srinivasa Iyengar Ranga (BS Ranga), 93, passed away in Chennai last night. He is survived by three sons and a daughter.

Ranga brought colour to Sandalwood films –he produced and directed the first colour film in Kannada - Amarshili Jakkanachari.

Ranga, an ace photographer was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society after his photographs were exhibited at the Royal Salon in London.

He started his film career as a cinematographer before starting his production company under tha banner of Vikram Productions, renowned in South India during the sixties and the seventies of the last century.

Amarshili Jakkanachari and a Telugu film Tenali Ramakrishna starring the late Andhra Pradesh chief minister NT Rama Rao, the film won for Ranga the President’s film awards.

In 1963, he directed a Hindi film Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya starring Shammi Kapoor and B Saroja Devi among others.

In all he directed 45 films in Kannada, Telugu and Hindi.