Kannada actor Raj Kumar passes away
(Updated at 1715 PST)
Mumbai: Legendary Kannada actor Raj Kumar has passed away in Bangalore. The 77-year-old actor died of a cardiac arrest.
He had been unwell for the past few days.
Doctors pronounced him dead after he was brought to Bangalore’s M S Ramaiah hospital. He is survived by three sons and a daughter.
Raj Kumar had received the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award for his contribution to the Kannada film industry.
He entered the film industry at the age of eight years and got his first break as a hero in the film Bedara Kannappa in 1954.
Thereafter, he went on to work in over 220 films and became a household name in the Kannada-speaking world.
Some of his most popular films include Bedara Kannapa, Halu Jenu and Akasmika.
Raj Kumar hit the headlines six years ago when he was kept hostage by slain sandalwood smuggler Veerappan. He was held in the forests for more than 100 days.
I do not know how many people have seen Raj Kumar’s acting, but I have seen many of his movie. He status in Kannada movies is similar to what Amitabh Bachchan has in Hindi movies.
Talent wise, I will rate Raj Kumar two steps above Amitabh. Don’t mistake me, I am not a fan of Raj Kumar and Kannada is also not my Mother tongue, but Raj kumar was a unbelieveable acting machine. Unfortunately most of the people outside south India have not seen him on screen.