Shocking demises in the Telugu TV industry

Young TV actress Bhargavi (20), who is seen playing the friend of female antagonist (Nandhika) in the popular Telugu daily soap Mutyalamuggu, reportedly died in a road accident near Chevella in the wee hours of April 17.

Bhargavi along with yet another actress Anusha was heading back to Hyderabad from a TV shoot in the Vikarabad jungle, when their car rammed into a tree by the roadside at Appa Reddy bus stop nearby Chevella.

Vikarabad police said Anusha and Bharghavi died on the spot while the other inmates in the car suffered grievous injuries.

A team of television artistes went to Ananthagiri forest in Vikarabad to shoot few scenes of their upcoming serial. After completion of their shooting they started their return journey to Hyderabad on Tuesday (April 16) late night. When they reached Appareddy bus stop in Chevella, a lorry came in the opposite direction and to avoid hitting the lorry, the car driver Chakri veered the car to one side and end up hitting a tree. There were four persons seated in the car and two died while two other suffered injuries. The injured Chakri and Vinay were shifted to Osmania General Hospital.

(Photo: A still of Bhargavi from Mutyalamuggu)

Actor Deevi Srinivasa Deekshithulu, popularly known as ‘Murari’ Deekshithulu, aged 62, breathed his last following a cardiac arrest on the sets of the recently launched TV soap Sirisirimuvva at Ramakrishna Cine Studios, Nacharam (Hyderabad) this February 18 (Monday). He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared ‘brought dead’.

The actor par excellence is known for his work in radio, theatre, cinema and TV.

Deekshithilu received the prestigious Nandi award for eminent director Manjula Naidu’s popular TV soap Aagamanam. He shot to fame with the film Murari and has several popular films to his credit.

The entire film and TV industry is mourning the loss of the senior actor.

TV actress Naga Jhansi of Telugu TV serial Pavithra Bandham fame reportedly committed suicide on February 5, 2019, at her residence in Sri Nagar colony, Hyderabad.

Apparently her love failure with Surya from Vijayawada is suspected to be the main reason behind Jhansi’s suicide. Surya was allegedly harassing her from a while and she reportedly committed suicide following a quarrel with her family and boyfriend, as per sources. Cops have booked a case of suspicious death under section 174 of CrPc. Further details about the incident are yet to be revealed.

Hailing from Vadali village, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh, Jhansi shot to fame with the recently concluded TV show, Pavithra Bandham.

Telugu television has produced some exceptional talents who command a niche base for their oeuvre while some unfortunately passed away leaving a lasting impact on the hearts of the audience. Though they are not around, they live on. Here's a look at the most shocking and unfortunate demises this year.

Gundu Hanumantha Rao

Gundu Hanumantha Rao is a renowned Telugu comedian who has appeared in many memorable Telugu movies of the late 80s, 90s and 2000s. However, he is a household name with his memorable performance as 'Anji' in the classic comedy TV series Amrutham.

Though the other lead characters in the series changed over time, Hanumantha Rao saw the birth and rise of the serial. He is one of the reasons why Amrutham is one of the most loved classic comedy sitcoms on Telugu TV. He appeared in other popular TV series like Aanando Brahma, Sambarala Rambabu and his last notable appearance on TV was Naathicharami. Hanumantha Rao, aged 61, passed away on Feb 18, 2018, at his residence due to cardiac arrest.

Popular news presenter Radhika Reddy's suicide on April 1, 2018, took both the Telugu states by shock. She allegedly committed suicide by jumping from the 5th floor of her residential apartment in Moosapet, Hyderabad, owing to depression.

She was a divorcee and is survived by her parents and a 14-year-old mentally challenged son. The entire media and entertainment industry mourned the sudden and unexpected demise of Radhika Reddy.

Before anyone could recover from the death of Radhika Reddy, Tejaswini, an anchor in a Vijayawada based local TV channel, allegedly committed suicide on June 17, 2018.

Tejaswini reportedly locked herself in the room and by the time she was found hanging to the fan, she was believed to be dead. Tejaswi was married to Pavan five years back and it is learned that her marriage was going through a rough patch.

Renowned actor Prasad Babu aka Vizag Prasad, aged 75, passed away in October 2018. The actor, who was battling prolonged illness for a while, reportedly breathed his last due to cardiac arrest at a private hospital.

The actor was known for his supporting roles in many Telugu movies and TV soaps namely Jayam, Chinna Kodalu, Rani gari Bangla, Ramulamma, to name a few. The entire entertainment industry mourned this great loss.