HYDERABAD, Nov 15 (PTI): The late veteran star Krishna had a few ‘firsts’ to his credit in his five-decade stint in Telugu cinema – first cinemascope film, first cowboy genre and also the first 70 mm movie and his demise on Tuesday was described by most as a great loss to the film world.
The 80 year-old super star died on Tuesday at a city-based private super-specialty hospital where he was undergoing treatment following a cardiac arrest and mega star Chiranjeevi’s tributes summed up the unique personality he was.
“Krishna garu is a blend of courage, perseverance, humanity and good-naturedness,” Chiranjeevi said on social media, expressing grief over Krishna’s demise
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief ministers of various states, top actors such as Rajinikanth among others mourned the demise of Krishna, whom Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy described as “Alluri,” alluding to actor donning the role of legendary freedom fighter from the southern state, Alluri Sitarama Raju.
Condoling the veteran’s death, Modi said his demise is a colossal loss to the world of cinema and entertainment.
“Krishna Garu was a legendary superstar, who won hearts of people through his versatile acting and lively personality. His demise is a colossal loss to the world of cinema and entertainment,” Modi tweeted.
Krishna, father of superstar Mahesh Babu, was admitted to the hospital in the early hours of Monday and was put on a ventilator.
He was being treated by a multidisciplinary team of doctors following the cardiac arrest. The actor died at 4 AM on Tuesday, hospital sources said.
Over the last 24 hours, Krishna continued to remain in an extremely critical state, following his admission to the emergency ward due to a cardiac arrest and upon resuscitation he was shifted to ICU, the hospital said in a statement
“He remained critically ill with multi-organ failure and severe hypoxic brain injury…It was decided late evening with family members and all the consultants not to pursue further supportive care given to his dismal prognosis and to keep his final moments painless and peaceful. He expired in the early hours of the morning at 4.09 AM,” the statement said.
Ghattamaneni Sivarama Krishna, popularly known as Krishna, began his career in the early 1960s and acted in about 350 films.
While the legends N T Rama Rao and Akkineni Nageswara Rao were the first generation stars in Telugu cinema, Krishna and Sobhan Babu belonged to the subsequent one before the era of Chiranjeevi began.
Krishna began his acting career on the stage in early 1960s, before making it big on the silver screen.
He is known in the Telugu film industry for his good-natured and courageous attitude. He earned fame with his cowboy roles and by introducing advanced technologies in film-making.
Krishna was seen as a bellwether who introduced the first cinemascope film, first cowboy genre and also the first 70 mm movie in Telugu.
He was a Lok Sabha member from Eluru Parliamentary constituency, winning the elections in 1989. His son-in-law Jayadev Galla is presently a TDP Lok Sabha member representing the Guntur constituency.He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2009.
Chief ministers of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, K Chandrasekhar Rao, Jagan Mohan Reddy and MK Stalin respectively condoled his death.
Rao, in a statement, recalled Krishna’s five decades of contribution to the Telugu film industry as an actor, producer and director.
“Krishna, who acted in over 350 movies, left an indelible mark on the hearts of moviegoers and his death is a huge loss for the Telugu film industry,” Rao said.
“Krishna garu is a Telugu superstar. He is Alluri…He is our James Bond. As a man of heart in real life as well, who earned distinction for himself in the film industry, his death is a great loss for Telugu film industry and Telugu people,” Reddy tweeted.
Stalin said Krishna’s demise is an irreparable loss to Indian cinema, adding he was known for including many innovative aspects in cinema. His passing away is an irreparable loss to the world of cinema.
Chiranjeevi in a statement posted in his Twitter page said he could not believe Krishna is no more and offered condolences to his family members.
“Krishna garu is synonymous with adventure. Apart from many experimental films and distinctive characters, your credit for introducing many techniques to Telugu cinema will always be remembered,” Jr NTR tweeted.
Rajinikanth said in a tweet, “The demise of Krishna garu is a great loss to the Telugu film industry…working with him in 3 films are memories I will always cherish. My heartfelt condolences to his family… may his soul rest in peace @urstrulyMahesh.”
Another top star, Kamal Haasan, hailed Krishna as an “icon” and said an era has ended with his demise.
The South Indian Artistes’ Association (SIAA), headed by actor M Nasser, also condoled Krishna’s demise.
