Kannada actor Chiranjeevi Sarja passed away at a city hospital on Sunday afternoon. He was 39. He is suspected to have died of cardiac arrest. The news came as a shock to the industry.
Sources close to the family said the actor suffered convulsions on Saturday and he took medicines after consulting a doctor. However, he developed breathlessness in the night and also complained of chest pain on Sunday afternoon. He was taken to hospital, where he was declared brought dead.
“He was brought in an unresponsive state to the hospital at 2.18 p.m. All efforts to resuscitate him failed and he was declared dead,” said Dr. G. Govindaiah Yateesh, unit head, Apollo Speciality Hospital, Jayanagar.
While doctors suspect a cardiac arrest, investigations are on. His throat swab samples have also been taken and sent for COVID-19 tests, especially as he suffered from respiratory issues on Saturday. The last rites will be conducted at the family’s native village, Jakkanahalli, in Tumakuru district on Monday.
Chiranjeevi Sarja came from a family of film artistes. He was the grandson of well-known Kannada actor the late Shakti Prasad. He was the nephew of noted multi-lingual actor Arjun Sarja. Chiranjeevi Sarja made his film debut in 2009 with the Kannada film Vayuputra and acted in 22 films. Four other films, with him as the lead actor, are in various stages of production.
He married Kannada actor Meghana Raj, daughter of well-known actors Sundar Raj and Pramila Joshai, in May 2018. Actor Tara, who broke down at the hospital on Sunday evening, revealed that Ms. Meghana Raj was pregnant. “He was too young to go like this,” she lamented.
Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah, and people from the Kannada film industry have mourned the death of Chiranjeevi Sarja. “He had a bright career and future ahead. It is sad that we lost a talent, so young,” said the Chief Minister.