Veteran Sandalwood actor Shani Mahadeveppa passed away on Sunday night at K C General Hospital in Bengaluru. The 88-year-old had reportedly been suffering from age-related ailments for a while and was recently diagnosed with COVID-19. According to reports, the actor tested positive for the virus a week ago and had been hospitalised since then. He is survived by his wife, daughter and son.
Speaking to a leading daily, Mahadevappa's son Gurukumar said, “As my father developed breathing complications, we decided to admit him at KC General Hospital where he was receiving treatment at the ICU. Though initial tests were negative for the coronavirus, he was later tested positive and was receiving treatment for the same, to which he failed to respond.”
The octogenarian acted in over 380 films, as a character artist and as a villain, throughout his acting career, said The Hindu. His demise was mourned by the Kannada film industry.
Shani Mahadevappa was born in 1933 in Mandya in Karnataka and made his Sandalwood debut in 1962, in cameo roles. His father was a theatre enthusiast who is said to have developed Mahadevappa’s love for acting. He later became a close friend of legendary actor Dr Rajkumar, and the duo shared the screen for scores of films including Shankar Guru, Kavirathna Kalidasa, Bhaktha Kumbara, Sri Srinivasa Kalyana, Thrimurthy, Premada Kanike and others. His role in the play Shaneeshwara Mahatme was very well received, after which he came to be known as ‘Shani’ Mahadevappa.
His death was mourned by many Sandalwood actors like Puneeth Rajkumar and Kichcha Sudeep, among others. Puneeth Rajkumar tweeted: "Shani Mahadevappa, a veteran actor who has acted in many films, along with Appaji, Bhakta Kumbara, Srinivasa Kalyana and Kavirat's Kalidasa passed away. RIP (sic)."
ಅಪ್ಪಾಜಿಯವರ ಜೊತೆ ಭಕ್ತ ಕುಂಬಾರ, ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣ, ಕವಿರತ್ನ ಕಾಳಿದಾಸ, ಮೂರೂವರೆ ವಜ್ರಗಳು ಸೇರಿದಂತೆ ಅನೇಕ ಚಿತ್ರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನಟಿಸಿದ ಹಿರಿಯ ನಟರಾದ ಶನಿ ಮಹದೇವಪ್ಪನವರು ನಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಅಗಲಿದ್ದಾರೆ. RIP
— Puneeth Rajkumar (@PuneethRajkumar) January 3, 2021
According to official sources, the last rites were performed on Monday at the Sumanahalli crematorium in Bengaluru.