Chennai: Tamil film star Robo Shankar, who was known for his effective presentation of comedy roles, died at a private hospital in the city at 9:50 pm on Thursday.

Shankar’s body is kept at his home in Valasaravakkam in Chennai for people to pay homage to the popular actor. His funeral rites are expected to be held in the city on Friday.

The actor, who was 46 years old, is survived by his wife Priyanka and a daughter Indraja.

Condolences are pouring in from various quarters at the death of Shankar, with some people expressing shock and calling it a great loss to Tamil film industry.

Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin expressed his sorrow at the demise of the actor, tweeting on his personal ‘X’ account, “We paid our respects by placing a garland on his body kept at his residence. Starting his journey as a stage performer, achieving success on the small screen, and entertaining Tamil audiences with his realistic humour in films, brother Robo Shankar was truly remarkable.”

Vijay Sethupathi shared a photo of Robo Shankar and wrote RIP with a folded-hands emoji, while actor-director Raghava Lawrence messaged on his ‘X’ page, “Deeply saddened to hear about the demise of Robo Shankar. His contribution to entertainment will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his family. May his soul rest in peace.”

Actor-producer Vishnu Vishal shared a screengrab of an iconic comedy scene featuring Robo Shankar from their film, ‘Velainnu Vandhutta Vellakaaran’ and posted, “Probably the most iconic comedy scene in my films.. Without him, it wouldn’t have been this memorable... Rest in peace, #RoboShankar. Tamil cinema will definitely miss a talent like you (sic).”

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Tehran/Doha: Iran’s President Massoud Pezeshkian has warned that attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure could lead to “uncontrollable consequences” affecting the entire world.

In a post on X, Pezeshkian said he “strongly condemns” the strikes that targeted the South Pars gasfield earlier in the day.

“Such aggressive actions will not achieve anything for the American Zionist enemy and their supporters. Rather, they will complicate the situation and could lead to uncontrollable consequences that will affect the entire world,” he said.

Meanwhile, Qatar’s Ministry of Interior has urged residents to remain indoors due to what it described as an elevated security threat.

Authorities have not provided further details, but the advisory comes amid growing concerns over the safety of energy infrastructure and civilian areas in the region.