Veteran Kannada actor Umesh Passes away
Bengaluru (PTI): Veteran Kannada actor 'Mysore' Srikantayya Umesh died on Sunday after prolonged illness, family sources said.
He was 80.
The actor has been suffering from cancer for quite some time and was recently admitted to a hospital where he breathed his last.
His career in the film industry spanned over five decades where he acted in over 350 films.
Born on April 24, 1945 in Mysuru, Umesh started his career at the age of four when he played a role in 'Lanchavatara' fame Master K Hirannaiah's theatre group.
Later, he joined Gubbi Veeranna's theatre troupe.
Umesh got a major break in the film industry in 1960 when he played the lead role in the movie 'Makkala Rajya'.
After the debut, there was a lull in his film career, which was marked with struggle. He was forced to return to theatres.
The actor got the next break in the film industry through 'Katha Sangama' in 1977. Since then, there has been no looking back for Umesh.
He acted in movies like 'Nagara Hole' (1978), 'Guru Shishyaru' (1981), 'Anupama' (1981), 'Kaamana Billu' (1983) and 'Venkata in Sankata' (2007).
The actor worked with all the leading Kannada actors of his time, right from Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar, Vishnu Vardhan, Ambareesh, Srinath, Shankar Nag, Ananth Nag, Arvind Ramesh, B Saroja Devi and Bharathi. He also acted with Tamil actors Sivaji Ganesan and Rajinikanth.
Umesh was a versatile actor. He got Karnataka State Film Award in 1975 for best supporting actor in 'Katha Sangama' and Karnataka Nataka Akademy Award in 2013 for his contribution to theatres.
Condoling his demise, JD(S) leader and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy said he was deeply saddened to hear the news.
"Umesh would make audiences float in a sea of laughter through his fresh humour," he said.
"Having delivered captivating performances in numerous films including 'Guru Shishyaru', 'Haalu Jenu', 'Apurva Sangama', his departure is a huge loss to the Kannada art world," Kumaraswamy said in a post on 'X'.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
SIT formed to probe second sexual assault case against expelled Cong MLA Mamkootathil
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe a second case of sexual assault against expelled Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, police officials said on Friday.
The SIT will be led by G Poonguzhali, Assistant Inspector General at the Police Headquarters.
The team also includes a DSP rank officer and sub-inspectors, officials added.
The second sexual assault complaint was received by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, which it forwarded to the state police chief.
ALSO READ: Cong expels rape-accused MLA Mamkootathil from party's primary membership
Following this, the Crime Branch registered a case and launched an investigation.
Crime Branch officials said the email complaint contained only the sender's email ID and no other contact details.
As part of the probe, they have sent a reply email requesting that the complainant contact them and provide her statement.
The complainant has alleged that she was sexually assaulted under the false promise of marriage, a Crime Branch official said.
However, details such as the location and date of the alleged incident are not currently available to the police.
The SIT will attempt to trace the sender of the email and record her statement, which is crucial for further investigation, the officer said.
Mamkootathil was expelled from the Congress party on Thursday after a court here rejected his anticipatory bail petition in another rape case.
Police said he is currently absconding, and a manhunt is underway in Kerala and neighbouring states.
