Veteran Kannada actor CH Loknath died at the age of 90 this morning. He suffered a cardiac arrest at around 12.10 am at his home in Bangalore.
His son Ashwin reportedly said Loknath looked fine last night. “He walked around and was alert. He recently also attended Ambareesh’s funeral. He was old,” he said.
Loknath is survived by four daughters and a son. His mortal remains will be kept at Ravindra Kalakshetra between 12 and 2.30 pm today for the public to visit and offer condolences. Cremation will be at 4 pm in Banashankari.
Loknath, fondly called ‘Uncle Loknath’, was known for his roles as a father-figure in Kannada films. He was born on August 14, 1927, and early in his life showed interest in theatre despite opposition from his family. In his mid-50s he acted in his first stage play Bandalavavillada Badayi. He made his film debut in 1970 in the National Award winning Samskaara. His career spanned from 1970 to 2016, and he has acted in over 650 Kannada films and 1000 stage plays.
One of his best films was the 1974 Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu, based on a collection of short stories called Vayyari. Loknath played the comic lead actor Ayyu, a cobbler who was obsessed with eating pickle. The film gave him the name ‘Uppinakayi’. The story was set in a village that was constantly under the threat of floods. He won a State Award for his role in the film.
Loknath was also well known for his roles in Minchina Ota, Nagarahaavu, Nodi Swami Navidru Heege, Katha Sangama and Kittu Puttu.
He was last seen in a small role in the 2012 film Bheema Theeradalli, a biopic on Om Prakash Rao, and in the 2016 film Re, a come-back for many famous people from Kannada cinema, including Loknath, actor Shivram, director Sunil Kumar Desai, and music director Hamsalekha.
Loknath has starred with actors Dr Rajkumar, Vishnuvardhan, Ambareesh, Kamal Haasan, and Shankar Nag. He was most popular for his role in director Shankar Nag’s TV series Malgudi Days, made in 1986, starring Vishnuvardhan and Anant Nag in the lead.
Some of his best characters in plays were Galileo in Galileo, Rajaram in Aspota, Dr Faustus in Dr Faustus, Kakaji in Tanavu Ninnade Manavu Ninnade, Dushtabudhi in Chandrahasa and more.
Loknath’s death was condoled by Kannada actor and Minister for Women and Child Welfare Dr Jaimala, Karnataka Chief Minister Kumaraswamy, and others from Kannada cinema.
“The news of veteran actor Loknath’s death has caused me immense pain. His contribution to Kannada cinema and theatre is immeasurable,” said Jaimala in her tweet.
ಹಿರಿಯ ರಂಗಭೂಮಿ ಮತ್ತು ಚಲನಚಿತ್ರ ಕಲಾವಿದರಾಗಿದ್ದ, , ನಮ್ಮೆಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಆಪ್ತರಾಗಿದ್ದ ಶ್ರೀ ಲೋಕನಾಥ್ ಅವರು ನಿಧನರಾದ ಸುದ್ದಿ ತಿಳಿದು ನನಗೆ ಅತೀವ ಬೇಸರವಾಯಿತು. ರಂಗಭೂಮಿ ಹಾಗೂ ಚಲನಚಿತ್ರ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರಕ್ಕೆ ಲೋಕನಾಥ್ ಅವರ ಕೊಡುಗೆ ಅಪಾರ. ಅವರ ಆತ್ಮಕ್ಕೆ ಭಗವಂತನು ಚಿರಶಾಂತಿ ಕರುಣಿಸಲಿ ಎಂದು ನಾನು ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ . pic.twitter.com/8G0SJNE4s2
— DrJaimala (@Dr_Jayamala) December 31, 2018
ಕನ್ನಡ ಚಿತ್ರರಂಗದ ಹಿರಿಯ ನಟ ಲೋಕನಾಥ್ ನಿಧನ ದುಃಖ ಉಂಟು ಮಾಡಿದೆ.ಪೋಷಕ ಪಾತ್ರಗಳಿಗೆ ಜೀವ ತುಂಬಿದ ನಟ ಲೋಕನಾಥ್ ಅವರ ಭೂತಯ್ಯನ ಮಗ ಅಯ್ಯು ಚಿತ್ರದ ಪಾತ್ರ ಜನಮನದಲ್ಲಿ ಸದಾ ಹಸಿರಾಗಿ ಉಳಿದಿದೆ. ಚಿತ್ರರಂಗ , ರಂಗಭೂಮಿ ಎರಡರಲ್ಲೂ ಅವರ ಕೊಡುಗೆ ಸ್ಮರಣೀಯ.ಲೋಕನಾಥ್ ಆತ್ಮಕ್ಕೆ ಶಾಂತಿ ಸಿಗಲಿ,ಕುಟುಂಬಕ್ಕೆ ಅಗಲಿಕೆಯ ದುಃಖ ಭರಿಸುವ ಶಕ್ತಿ ದೊರೆಯಲಿ pic.twitter.com/NAnCZ7j1an
— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) December 31, 2018
ಇವರು ನೆನಪಾದಗಲೆಲ್ಲ ಉಪ್ಪಿನಕಾಯಿರುಚಿ ನಾಲಗೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಜನಿಸುತ್ತದೆ..
{ಭೂತಯ್ಯನ ಮಗ ಅಯ್ಯು}ಅಂತಹ ಅಭೂತಪೂರ್ವ ಕಲಾವಿದರು..
ಆತ್ಮಕ್ಕೆ ಶಾಂತಿ ಲಭಿಸಲಿ.. #RIP https://t.co/l2IRAPMP93— Su Ni (@SimpleSuni) December 31, 2018
— sumalatha ambareesh ?? (@sumalathaA) December 31, 2018
RIP??? https://t.co/fGjPjXAR7M
— Pavan Wadeyar (@PavanWadeyar) December 31, 2018
