Girish Karnad dies at 81: Celebrities pay tribute to actor-playwright

Girish Karnad death: The who's who of the Indian film industry took to Twitter on Monday to share their condolences.

Actor-playwright Girish Karnad passed away at his residence in Bengaluru on Monday morning. He was 81.

Karnad first tasted success by writing plays in his native tongue Kannada, which he later went on to translate in English as well. Quite a few of those plays were later staged by some of the most renowned filmmakers. In fact, Karnad went on to receive the Jnanpith Award in 1998 for his contribution to the field of literature. Apart from the prestigious literary award, he was also honoured with Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.

He also received the Sahitya Academy Award and numerous National Film Awards.

While he didn’t frequently dabble in cinema as an actor, Girish Karnad consistently wrote plays for nearly four decades. He often used mythology and history to comment on topical issues. Some of his most notable works include Tughalak 1964 and Taledanda.

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Celebrities pay tribute to actor-playwright Girish Karnad.

Kamal Haasan on Girish Karnad

Kamal Haasan tweeted, "Mr Girish Karnad, his scripts both awe and inspire me. He has left behind many inspired fans who are writers. Their works perhaps will make his loss partly bearable."

'In his death, we lost a cultural ambassador'

In a statement, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said, "Deeply saddened to hear of the demise of Jnanpith laureate writer and iconic actor/filmmaker Sri Girish Karnad. His outstanding contribution to literature, theatre and films will always be remembered. In his death, we lost a cultural ambassador. May his soul rest in peace."

You will be missed: Tisca Chopra

Tisca Chopra tweeted, "Deeply saddened at the passing of #GirishKarnad.. he was kind to let me rent his house in #Bandra when I 1st came to Mumbai.Spent many evenings chatting with him about theatre & writing..those chats had a deep impact on my choices at work.. #RIP dear friend. You will be missed .."

'A titan of modern Indian theatre now belongs to the ages'

Quizmaster Siddhartha Basu posted on Twitter, "Sad. A titan of modern Indian theatre, a cultured & distinguished polymath now belongs to the ages. With great conviction, he always stood up & spoke out for enlightened, progressive values. RIP #GirishKarnad"

Girish Karnad is survived by his wife Dr Saraswathy Ganapathy and two children. His son Raghu Karnad is an accomplished writer, having received the Windham–Campbell Literature Prize for Non-Fiction.