New Delhi: Veteran Kannada actor Umesh passed away at the age of 80 due to prolonged illness on Sunday. Umesh had been fighting cancer for a long time. He was recently admitted to the hospital and breathed his last breath.
The actor has acted in more than 350 films during his career that spanned more than five decades. He started his career at the age of 4 in a theatre group. He played a role in ‘Lanchavatara’ fame Master K Hirannaiah’s theatre group. Further, he joined the theatre troupe owned by Gubbi Veeranna. His first break in the film industry took place in 1960 when he was cast as the lead in ‘Makkala Rajya’. However, he suffered a lull after the film, forcing him to go back to theatre acting.
His demise left fans and well-wishers emotional.
“Umesh would make audiences float in a sea of laughter through his fresh humour,” said JD leader and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy. He added, “Having delivered captivating performances in numerous films, including ‘Guru Shishyaru’, ‘Haalu Jenu’, ‘Apurva Sangama’, his departure is a huge loss to the Kannada art world.”