Popular Tamil actor passes away at 70, Kamal Haasan pays tribute

Actor Raghu Balaiah, popularly known as Junior Balaiah, the third son of veteran actor T.S. Balaiah, passed away on Thursday due to asphyxiation. The actor breathed his last at his residence in Valasaravakkam, Chennai. He was 70.

The actor was known for films such as ‘Sundarakandam’, ‘Karagattakaran’, ‘Saattai’ and others. Apart from films, he was also seen in television shows, including 'Chithi', 'Vazhkai' and 'Chinna Papa Periya Papa'. In 2019, he was seen in an important role in Ajith Kumar's 'Nerkonda Paarvai', which is the official Tamil remake of 'Pink'. His last film was 'Yennanga Sir Unga Sattam', which was released in 2021.

As per reports, his funeral will be held on Thursday evening.

He started his career in movies with ‘Melnattu Marumaal’ starring Sivakumar and continued to play supporting roles in various films. He acted opposite Sivajiganesan in ‘Tyagam’ and as one of Kamal Haasan's friends in ‘Havbe Mayam’.

Kamal Haasan took to his X to pay tribute to his friend Balaiah. His tweet in Tamil is loosely translated as: "Junior Balaiah, son of legendary actor T.S. Balaiah, became my teenage friend. Just like his father, who started his career in theatre and flourished, he passed away today. My tribute to him. My heartfelt condolences to his family members.”