Bengaluru, Apr 6: Veteran Kannada film actress Prathima Devi who had worked in more than 60 movies died at the age of 88 on Tuesday, family sources said.

Hailing from the district headquarters town of Udupi in coastal Karnataka, Prathima Devi is survived by her sons S V Rajendra Singh Babu, Sangram Singh, Jayaraj Singh and daughter Vijayalakshmi Singh.

According to the family members, she had a habit of sleeping before lunch everyday.

On Tuesday too, she was lying on the bed. When her family members tried to wake her up, she did not respond.

Believing that she might have lost her consciousness due to old age, the family members rushed her to a hospital where she was declared brought dead.

Born as Mohini, the actress adopted the new name Prathima Devi when she made an entry to the silver screen with the movie 'Krishna Leela' at the age of 15.

She was married to eminent Kannada film actor, director and producer late Shankar Singh.

Some of her prominent movies besides 'Krishna Leela' were 'Jaganmohini', 'Nagakanye', 'Shiva Parvathi' and 'Sri Srinivasa Kalyana.'

In his condolence message, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa expressed his deep sorrow.

She was one of the towering personalities in the Kannada film industry and the industry has lost a most talented actress in her death, the Chief Minister said in a statement.

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New Delhi: The music industry is abuzz with fresh speculation days after singer Arijit Singh announced that he would step away from taking new playback singing assignments.

According to a report by NDTV, the popular singer is now being linked to a possible entry into politics. Sources cited by the portal claim that Arijit is seriously considering exploring political work, beginning at the grassroots level. A source from the Bengali film industry told NDTV that while the singer is unlikely to contest the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, he may be thinking about forming his own political party in the future.

Arijit Singh, who hails from Jiaganj in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, has long been known for maintaining a low profile despite his immense popularity. The report suggests that his alleged interest in politics may be driven by his roots and a desire to contribute beyond music. However, the singer has not made any official statement confirming these reports.

The speculation comes shortly after Arijit announced his decision to stop taking new playback singing assignments. In a post shared on Instagram on Tuesday evening, he thanked listeners for their continued support and said he was calling time on his journey as a playback vocalist.

“Hello, Happy New Year to all. I want to thank you all for giving me so much love all these years as listeners. I am happy to announce that I am not going to be taking any new assignments as a playback vocalist from now on. I am calling it off. It was a wonderful journey,” he wrote.

Arijit also clarified that he would complete his pending commitments and that some releases may still come out this year. He stressed that he was not quitting music altogether and would continue to learn and create independently.

Over the past decade, Arijit Singh has been one of the most influential voices in Hindi cinema, delivering several chart-topping songs including Tum Hi Ho, Channa Mereya, Agar Tum Saath Ho, Raabta, Kesariya, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Tera Yaar Hoon Main and Tujhe Kitna Chahne Lage. He was also expected to feature in Vishal Bhardwaj’s upcoming film O Romeo. His most recent release is Ghar Kab Aaoge from Border 2.

As of now, neither Arijit Singh nor his representatives have responded to the reports linking him to a political foray.