Veteran Kannada actor Kalatapasvi Rajesh succumbed to respiratory ailments in Bengaluru at 89. Due to respiration-related issues, the actor was admitted to a private hospital in Bengaluru on 9 February 2022. Rajesh was put on ventilator. However, in the early of 19 February 2022, his health started to deteriorate.
The final rites of the actor took place at his residence in Vidyaranyapura, Bengaluru, at 6 in the evening.
Fans across the nation are grieving from this loss. Raghu Mukherjee, an actor who worked with Kalatapasvi, tweeted his emotions. Raghu expressed his sorrow due to the loss of the veteran actor, and the memories made with the latter will last with him forever.
Mukherjee feels fortunate to have worked with the grandmaster in his first film in the industry. He extended his deepest condolences to the family and friends of Rajesh. Well-known journalist Subhash Pathak also took to Twitter to extend his sincere condolences to the late actor. It is a significant loss, and each of his fans is reeling from this grief.
Born in Bangalore under the British Raj on 15 April 1932, Vidyasagar, known by his stage name- Rajesh, had an extensive career in the Kannada film industry.
The late actor worked in 150 movies in his immense career. Because of his compassion for literature, he gained the title of “Kala Thapasvi.” Born to the Kannada Kuruba Gowda family, the book “Kalathapasvi Rajesh Athmakathe” is the biography of Vidyasagar.
In his career, which spanned from 1963 to 2022, he is known for a variety of character roles, along with the roles of a protagonist. From his early days, he was passionate about acting, which made him join the theatre- Sudarshana Nataka Mandali without his parents’ knowledge.
Moving ahead, Rajesh formed the Shakti Nataka Mandali and gave numerous applaudable performances. His career in theatre made him land in mainstream films. The veteran director Hunsur Krishnamurthy introduced Vidyasagar in Veera Sankalpa.
It was the late actor’s first movie. From here, he started getting one after the other offer for films. The major turning point in his career was the movie- Namma Ooru. Directed by C.V. Shivashankar, it was released back in 1968. It was an instant hit.
The former finance minister of the state, Ramakrishna Hegde, gave this picture a hundred percent tax exemption because it attracted the public on a mass scale.
Vidyasagar was not only an ardent enthusiast of literature and acting but was also a prolific singer. Rajesh was bestowed with the Dr. Rajkumar Cultural Endowment Award by the Kannada Sahitya Parishat in 2014. He was also conferred with an honorary doctorate by the Karnataka University in 2012.
The loss of such a talent is irrecoverable. The industry truly lost one of its shining stars. The actor inspired a lot of young talent to pursue acting as a career. His blissful smile shall remain a delight in each of our minds for eternity. Kalatapasvi shall remain a glowing name in the industry.
