Venu Madhav to Gollapudi Maruthi Rao: 2019’s most shocking demises in Telugu TV industry

In 2019, Telugu television industry has lost many eminent personalities besides a few young talents too. While the suicide of Naga Jhansi’s mysterious suicide shook the entire industry, the unexpected demise of Venu Madhav took fans and the industry by surprise. Towards the end of the year, here’s a quick look at 2019’s most shocking demises in Telugu TV industry.

TV actress Naga Jhansi of Pavithra Bandham fame reportedly committed suicide on February 5, 2019, at her residence in Sri Nagar colony, Hyderabad. Hailing from Vadali village, Andhra Pradesh, Jhansi shot to fame with the recently concluded TV show, Pavithra Bandham.

A heartbreak followed by differences with family and harassment by boyfriend Surya were reportedly the reasons behind her suicide.

Actor Deevi Srinivasa Deekshithulu, popularly known as ‘Murari’ Deekshithulu, aged 62, passed away on February 18. He died of a cardiac arrest on the sets of the recently launched TV soap Sirisirimuvva at Ramakrishna Cine Studios, Nacharam (Hyderabad). 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 two female Telugu television actresses, who were returning after completing the shoot of their upcoming serial, died in a road accident after their car hit a tree in wee hours at Vikarabad district on April 17.

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

Bhargavi, who hails from Nirmal, was seen as the friend of the female antagonist Nandhika in the popular daily soap Mutyala Muggu. Anusha Reddy, on the other hand, is an aspiring actress from Jayashankar Bhupalapally district, Telangana.

Renowned actor Rallapalli Venkata Narasimha Rao, who was last seen on the cookery show Babai Hotel, passed away on May 17, 2019. The 74-year-old actor was reportedly admitted to a private hospital here in Hyderabad on May 15 due to lung ailments where he breathed his last.

The exemplary artiste left a lasting impact with the Babai Hotel, a cookery show that he co-hosted with ‘Jabardasth’ Rakesh and Keerthana until mid-2018 when he had to quit the show on health grounds.

Eminent actor Devadas Kanakala (74) reportedly breathed his last on August 2 at a private hospital in Hyderabad due to multiple organ failure.

Devadas was born on July 30, 1946, in Kanakalapeta, a village near Yanam. Right from his debut film Buddhimanthudu (1969) featuring iconic actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao in the lead, Devadas went on to feature in many successful films and coach popular actors like Rajinikanth, Chiranjeevi, Raghuvaran, Nassar, Suhasini et al.

His popular work on TV includes Damnit Katha Addam Thirigindi, Rajasekhara Charitra. His last notable appearance on TV was Amrutham, in which played the role of father-in-law of the male lead Amrutha Rao. He recently appeared on the popular chat show Ali Tho Saradaga.

Popular comedian Venu Madhav (39) passed away on September 25 at a private hospital in Secunderabad due to kidney-related-ailments.

Venu was reportedly hospitalised for the second time on September 24 owing to his critical condition. He had been on ventilator support for over 24 hours until he breathed his last on Wednesday (September 25) afternoon.

The mimicry artiste-turned-actor became a household name with the popular Telugu TV show Once More Please that he co-hosted with popular anchor Udaya Bhanu. The show featuring talented mimicry artistes and folk singers was a runaway hit. He also judged a few seasons of popular stand-up comedy TV series Smile Raja Smile as well.

Eminent actor-playwright-TV personality Gollapudi Maruthi Rao passed away in Chennai on December 12. The 80-year-old thespian breathed his last due to age-related ailments at a private hospital in T Nagar. In a film career spanning for close to four decades, Maruthi Rao featured in over 250 films. The award winning writer was known for his works in Telugu cinema and Telugu Literature. Rao forayed into Telugu TV and hosted acclaimed TV shows like Manasuni Manasai,a game show featuring young couples and Prathidhvani, a debate show that also featured Thanikella Bharani, Garikapati Narasimha Rao and others.