Telugu actor and producer Ramesh Babu, who is part of the Ghattamaneni family, died on Saturday after battling a prolonged illness. He was 56.
According to a report by the Indian Express, the late actor was admitted to AIG hospital in Hyderabad in an unconscious state on Saturday evening where he breathed his last.
In an official press statement, the actor’s family condoled his death and requested fans and well-wishers to adhere to Covid-19 protocols at the cremation site. “In light of the current circumstances, we request all our well-wishers to adhere to the Covid-19 norms and avoid gathering at the cremation venue.”
Ramesh Babu made his acting debut in 1974 as a child artist in the Telugu film Alluri Sitaramaraju alongside his father, veteran actor Krishna. He went on to star in several Telugu in the 1980s and 1990s including Bazaar Rowdy and Mugguru Kodukulu, where he shared screen space with his younger brother Mahesh Babu. He also acted in the Tamil film Shanti Enathu Shanti directed by T Rajendar.
Eventually, he retired from acting and began to produce films. According to a report by Deccan Herald, he turned executive producer for the director E V V Satyanarayana’s 1999 film Sooryavansham starring Amitabh Bachchan and Soundarya in the lead.
Later, Ramesh Babu began to collaborate with Mahesh Babu and produced several of the actor’s films including Arjun (2004) and Athidhi (2007). He also presented some of Mahesh Babu’s more recent movies such as Aagudu (2014) and Dookudu (2011).
Several prominent film personalities such as Pawan Kalyan, Sai Dharam Tej, and Gopichand Malineni condoled the actor-producer’s death on social media.
Actor Chiranjeevi wrote on Twitter, “Shocked and deeply saddened by the demise of Shri.G.Ramesh babu. My heartfelt condolences to Shri.Krishna garu Mahesh Babu, and all the family members. May the Almighty give strength to the family to cope with the tragic loss.”
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Dookudu director Sreenu Vaitla tweeted, “Got shocked and deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of Ramesh Babu garu. I have beautiful memories with him and every time I interacted with him, I felt like I was with my favourite Krishna garu. Ramesh Babu garu also had the same great qualities of humility and concern.”
The last rites of Ramesh Babu will take place on January 9. However, it is unclear whether Mahesh Babu will attend as he announced that he tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday.