Veteran Kannada actor Kalatapasvi Rajesh breathed his last in Bengaluru on Saturday morning. He was 89. Rajesh had been admitted to a private hospital in the city following age-related ailments last week. The award-winning actor's mortal remains will be kept at his Vidyaranyapura residence for people to come and pay their final respects, with the last rites to be conducted late in the evening. The news of the reputed Kannada actor's demise has come as a shock for fans and those in the Kannada film fraternity, who have taken to social media to express their condolences.
Born on April 15, 1932, in Bengaluru, Rajesh was bitten by the acting bug during his school days and would bunk classes to take part in theatre rehearsals. Although he landed a government job as a typist upon the completion of his education, his heart lay in acting and he later set up the Shakti Nataka Mandali and organized several notable plays, while also performing on stage. He was first noticed for his potential on the big screen by director Hunsur Krishnamurthy who introduced Vidyasagar (as Rajesh was called during the early stages of his career) in the film, Veera Sankalpa. The acclaimed actor had applied for leave and went to Chennai to take up the role in the film, before quitting his job completely to take up acting full-time.
Rajesh had a glorious career that spanned over four decades in which he acted in more than 150 films in the lead role in the 60s and 70s before transitioning into a character actor. The film Namma Ooru released in 1968 turned out to become a hit and cemented his place in Kannada cinema after which he starred in ventures like Gange Gowri, Sri Ramanjeneya Yuddha to name a notable few. He later impressed fans in films like Aatma Shakthi, Bhale Bhaskara, Urvashi, Devara Mane, Brindavana, Kasturi Vijaya, Kappu Bilupu, Vishakanye among others, while also acting in television serials. Rajesh was awarded several honors, including the first Dr. Rajkumar Cultural Endowment Award by the Karnataka Sahitya Parishat.
