CHENNAI: Sreeram, who had trained reel heroes and real-life commandos the unique selfdefence style of Krav Maga was found dead on Saturday morning on the sunshade of his house. Initial reports said he slipped and fell while trying to clean the terrace of his Besant Nagar home. He was 60.
Police said, the incident occurred around 6am. Almost an hour later, one of his neighbours alerted Sreeram’s family that a man was lying on the sunshade of their house. When Sreeram’s daughter Shree Jha rushed to the terrace to check, she found it was her father.
Sreeram’s body was brought down by the family and a neighbour, who was a doctor, examined and declared him dead. A police team led by Sastri Nagar inspector Palavesham recovered Sreeram’s body and sent it to the government hospital for an autopsy.
Preliminary inquiries revealed that Sreeram stayed on the first floor of his house, while his wife, daughter, mother, and grandchildren were on the ground floor. Sreeram got up in the morning, and prepared his usual herbal soup in the kitchen and boiled some eggs before leaving to clean the terrace. During questioning, his family members told police that every morning Sreeram would exercise and take a stroll around the terrace. They told police that they did not hear any cries for help. Though no one noticed him falling on the sunshade, police presumed that he slipped while attempting to climb the steel staircase while cleaning the terrace.
The Sastri Nagar police have registered a case, and further investigations are on.
Sreeram, who hailed from Nannilam in Nagapattinam, was a popular martial art exponent in Chennai and had trained the commando force personnel in Chennai. The actor took up Krav Maga, the self-defence art developed by Israeli defence forces, at the age of 45, and soon became a sought-after instructor in the city. He even taught Krav Maga to the city's police force. He was drawn to this form because he said it gives more power than other traditional martial arts.
On screen he has trained many actors including Anurag Kashyap and Amala Paul for their films ‘Imaikkaa Nodigal’ and ‘Adho Andha Paravai Pola’. He played a notable role in a Tamil movie ‘Sillu Karupatti' and was a part of actor Ajith Kumar's upcoming film ‘Valimai’.