Kannada actor Satyajith, veteran of over 600 films, passes away

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Veteran Kannada actor Satyajith, a.k.a Syed Nizamuddin, passed away here in the wee hours of Sunday. He was suffering from multiple health issues for several years and was being treated at Bowring and Lady Curzon hospital in Bengaluru. His last rites were conducted on Sunday. Satyajith's body was laid to rest at the Hegdenagar cemetery according to the traditions of Islam, his son Akash informed the media.

Known for the negative characters he played in more than 600 Kannada films. Satyajith had recently been in the news after his daughter Swaleha went public with the allegation that he was harassing her on property-related matters. He denied the allegations and claimed that her husband was behind these charges.

Born in Hubballi, Karnataka, Satyajith worked as a bus driver with the state government-owned transport services. Satyajith simultaneously acted in stage shows as he was passionate about theatre.

It was senior Bollywood actor Nana Patekar who recognised Satyajith's acting talent and gave him a break in the Hindi movie 'Ankush'. He acted in his first Kannada movie in 1983.

Satyajith appeared with all top actors of the Kannada film industry, including the four greats who are no more -- Dr Rajkumar, Vishnuvardhan, Ambareesh and Shankar Nag. He has also played major roles with contemporary lead artistes, including Ananth Nag, Devaraj, Jaggesh and others.

The veteran actor had lost one leg because of gangrene in 2016. In spite of that, he acted from a wheelchair in six Kannada movies.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Minister for Higher Education C.N. Ashwath Narayan led a number of public figures who expressed their grief over Satyajith's death. The mourners included Puneeth Rajkumar, the actor-turned-politician, Member of Parliament Sumalatha Ambareesh, and Congress MLA and former Karnataka home minister Ramalinga Reddy.

Starting his career as a journalist, he has had no reason to look back after donning the grease paint for the first time in 1978, until then he was a popular theatre personality. Winner of three National Film awards and six state film awards, Venu was immensely popular not just among his fans but also his colleagues in the film industry due to his pleasing and jovial nature.