TNM reporter Saradha U passes away in Chennai, she was 22

It is with great sadness that TNM announces the passing away of one of our own, Saradha U, who was part of our Flix & Features team in Chennai. She was 22. She had been hospitalised after she tested positive for dengue and typhoid last week.

Saradha joined TNM in February 2021. Initially working on daily cinema stories, she soon moved on to longer and impactful movie-related and feature pieces. She critiqued Tamil cinema in many of her stories, taking on the misrepresentation of mental health issues, shaming of women for their choice of clothes, sexism, among other issues.

Having completed her Class 12 from Kendriya Vidyalaya DGQA, Saradha went on to graduate in Journalism from Madras Christian College. She worked as an editorial intern for The Hindu’s Education Plus and Young World in Chennai, where she wrote news stories and columns.

My colleague @saradha_u is no more. A lovely and calm person, a vibrant writer, soft spoken, and someone with a great sense of humour. This was a pic of herself that Saradha really liked. She was just 22. I will miss her, we will all miss her. pic.twitter.com/xMEcakG7yy

— Dhanya Rajendran (@dhanyarajendran) January 8, 2023

Saradha was a lively, compassionate person, full of ideas, and always ready to help teammates. She offered support to those who needed it in her circle of friends and colleagues. She was a trained singer and an aspiring comedian, and recently performed a few stand-up comedy acts on stage, for which she received a lot of appreciation.

TNM will greatly miss her.

Read some of her excellent pieces for TNM: 

Agent Tina, Yashoda, Jaya Jaya Hey: How women in action roles have evolved on screen

Unhealthy, desexualised, or comic relief: Plus-sized character depictions in films

How taboos around HPV vaccination increase risk of cervical cancer

The appeal of ‘situationships’: Why are they growing popular?

Tamil cinema’s misrepresentation of therapists & mental health is harming real people

Is Tamil cinema’s idea of a quintessential hero evolving with time?

The risks of sexualised, age-inappropriate videos of kids on social media

How women lyricists of Tamil cinema have shattered the male gaze in film music

The Tamil Isai movement: How the fight for Tamil as a musical language took shape

How Tamil cinema shames women for their choice of clothes

Deep, or only skin deep? Revisiting the women from popular Tamil romantic dramas