EXCLUSIVE: Director Suresh Krissna recalls unforgettable memories with Sarath Babu, reveals how their friendship grew

South Indian actor Sarath Babu passed away on Monday in Hyderabad due to multiorgan failure because of multiple Myeloma. The news of his passing has come as a big shock to the film fraternity and many have been paying their tributes to the actor, who is known for playing supporting roles in a number of 'Superstar' Rajinikanth films namely Mullum Malarum (1978), Ninaithale Inikkum (1979), Netrikkan (1981), Velaikaran (1987), Annaamalai (1992), and Muthu (1995). With many grief-stricken about Sarath Babu's passing, veteran filmmaker Suresh Krissna sat down with Galatta to share his memories about the actor, while also talking about how their friendship grew after working in Annaamalai. 

Recalling his time with Sarath Babu, Suresh Krissna said, "There will always be something coming out about Annaamalai. A scene on YouTube might get shared and it'll flood our memories like their friendship (Rajinikanth as Annaamalai and Sarath Babu as Ashok) from the beginning. Ever since Annaamalai became an iconic film, our relationship continued. We went to Bombay and shot the film in several locations. What happened after that was, I wanted to cast him in all my films. In almost all of my Tamil, Telugu, and even Hindi films, he was there with me." He continued, "When it came to casting, his name will always be the first one I will include along with Raghuvaran sir. It was a shock that Raghuvaran left us because he was like a family member. So, when Raghuvaran passed away, a few months ago, on the occasion of his death anniversary, when I was asked to speak about him, it jogged my memories. Now, I'm in disbelief that Sarath Babu has left us. He was only 71. And, he was a fit person. He was tall and had a good build, but it's shocking that he passed away."

Watch Suresh Krissna talk about Sarath Babu in the video below: