Satyajith, the veteran Kannada actor, died on Sunday in Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in Bengaluru, The News Minute reported. He was 72.
A day before Satyajith was declared dead, his son Akash Jith, who is also an actor, speaking to TV9, said, “On Friday, he had a stroke, so we rushed him to hospital. His health condition deteriorated. Doctors gave him good treatment but he did not have the strength to recover. Dialysis was done. However, his blood pressure reduced and his heart rate also fell low.” He further added that the veteran actor was “mentally weak and upset” due to a dispute with his daughter.
According to The News Minute, the actor had had a financial dispute with his daughter, Akthar Swaleha, who alleged that Satyajith had harassed her for money. On the other hand, Satyajith and Akash alleged that Swaleha’s husband was behind the entire issue and he was trying to defame the family.
Born on July 2, 1949 in Uttara Karnataka as Syed Nizamuddin and better known by his stage name, Satyajith was popular for essaying antagonist roles. He acted in over 600 Kannada films.
As per The News Minute, Satyajith worked as a bus driver with the Karnataka State Corporation in his early years. He later performed stage shows and got in touch with actor Nana Patekar. He worked with Patekar in a Hindi film called Ankush in 1968.
Satyajith acted alongside some big names in the Kannada industry like actors Vishnuvardhan and Ambareesh. His popular films include Putnanja (1995), Shiva Mecchida Kannappa (1988), Thayigobba Karna (1988), Nyayakkaagi Naanu (1989), Chaitrada Premanjali (1992), Police Story (1996), Apthamitra (2004) and Masth Majaa Maadi (2008).
Actor-turned-politician Sumalatha Ambareesh shared her condolences in a social media post. She wrote, “The departure of senior actor Satyajith has caused a lot of pain. He is an artist who entertained a lot of fans by acting in more than 600 films, including Ambareesh’s Mandyada Gandu. I pray that his family gets the strength to bear this pain.”
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Several other actors from the Kannada film fraternity, including Parul Yadav and Priyanka Upendra, as well as fans paid tribute to the late actor.
Former Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy also shared his condolences about the demise of the actor in a tweet.
Satyajith is survived by his wife Sophia Begum, daughter Akthar Swaleha, who is a pilot, and son Akash Jith.