PM Modi expresses grief over demises of actor Kaikala Satyanarayana

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday condoled the death of veteran Telugu actor Kaikala Satyanarayana, who passed away earlier in the day.

"Pained by the passing away of noted film personality Shri Kaikala Satyanarayana Garu. He was popular across generations for his remarkable acting skills and diverse roles. My thoughts are with his family and admirers. Om Shanti," the prime minister tweeted.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has condoled the demise of Veteran Telugu actor Kaikala Satyanarayana and recalled his friendship with the famous actor in a statement here.

Chandrashekar Rao said Kaikala Satyanarayana has endeared himself to Telugu people with his innate ability to play any different type of characters in Telugu films.

He termed Satyanarayana's death as an irreparable loss to Telugu Film Industry.

Tollywood veteran Kaikala Satyanarayana died in the wee hours on Friday at his home in Filmnagar. He was 87 and suffering from age-related ailments over the past several days. Born on July 25, 1935 in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, Satyanarayana debuted with Telugu movie 'Sipai Koothuru' in 1959.

Satyanarayana went on to act in around 800 movies in a career spanning six decades. Although he excelled as the quintessential bad man in the movies, he was also feted for his portrayal of mythological characters, especially Lord Yama, the Hindu god of death.

From NT Rama Rao, Nageswara Rao, Krishna to Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna, Venkatesh, Balakrishna, and Prabhas, Allu Arjun, Satyanarayana acted alongside the entire gamut of Tollywood film stars spanning several generations. He last appeared in 2019 Mahesh Babu starrer 'Maharshi'.

Satyanarayana, who had started his career as N.T. Rama Rao's double in the 1950s, acted in around 750 films.

He had also acted in Subhash Ghai's Hindi blockbuster "Karma".

Tollywood stars and personalities from all walks of life in the two Telugu states have condoled the death of Satyanarayana who was famed for his acting prowess and kind-heartedness.

He won Lok Sabha polls from Machilipatnam in 1996. The sudden demise of Kaikala Satyanarayana shocked his fans and film celebrities. It is said that his last rites will be performed at Jubilee Hills Maha Prasathanam on Saturday.

His mortal remains will be kept at his residence for his followers and celebrities to pay their last respects. Tollywood director Raghavendra Rao visited his residence and paid tributes to the great actor. Kaikala acted in more than 700 movies and he shared screen space with NTR in 101 movies.

Many celebrities and politicians expressed shocked over the demise of the veteran actor. Actor Mahesh Babu, Telugu Desam Party chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Nara Lokesh and others expressed grief over the death of Kaikala Satyanarayana.