Goodbye, Chiranjeevi Sarja

Kannada film stars pay tribute to the late actor

Chiranjeevi Sarja’s infectious smile and limitless energy were admired by his colleagues, as much as they respected his commitment to his craft.

He began his career in the Kannada film industry with Vayuputra in 2009 and was later seen in action-oriented roles in ‘Vardhanayaka’, ‘Dandam’ ‘Dashagunam’, ‘Barjari’, ‘Aake’ among others. He had completed work on yet-to-release films such as ‘Rajamarthanda’, ‘April’, ‘Ranam’ and ‘Kshatriya’ when tragedy struck.

His colleagues and friends remember Chiranjeevi as someone who laughed through tough times and always believed that there was a solution to every problem. They say it is still hard for them to believe that the promising actor is no more. He died of a heart attack on June 7.

Actors in the Kannada film industry shared memories of Chiranjeevi Sarja with Showtime.

Prakash Raj

“He was a dreamer and was full of energy. I acted with him in ‘Seizer’ and found him to be a very lively guy. He was always trying to push the boundaries of creativity. I also remember him being a doting older brother. My heart goes out to his wife Meghana.”

Sumalatha Ambareesh

“One is never ready for something like this. It is very shocking and we all went into depression because he was so young, had just got married, and since he and his wife were expecting their first child. We have been close to the Sarja family for many years. He used to come home very often. Chiranjeevi loved and respected Ambareesh, and I feel like a member of our own family is gone.”

Upendra

“I never got a chance to act with him but I was always drawn to his charming smile and lively ways. He was an honest and straight-forward guy. He was handsome, a good dancer and had a promising future. It’s a big loss for the Kannada film industry.”

Chetan

“When a dear one passes, what lingers on for many moons is the last time you interacted with them. With Chiru, that conversation was in 2018 on the sets of ‘Ranam’, our yet-to-be-released commercial potboiler in which we both play major roles. Chiru plays a part he does so well: a cop. And I play a revolutionary who stands up for farmers. There is something poetic about how we were two friends who spend summers in Bengaluru in our early 20s, later joined the film industry as leads, kept in touch sporadically, and last spoke, albeit briefly, while shooting a scene in a film.”

Shanvi Srivastava

“I made my debut in the Kannada film industry in ‘Chandralekha’ with Chiranjeevi Sarja. I was so nervous because I didn’t know the language and we had long hours of shooting. But Chiru livened up the atmosphere with his jokes. There was something positive about him. I remember that he wanted to maintain a diet, which was sometimes betrayed by his love for Biriyani. I can’t accept that he is no more.”

Bhaskar

“Chiranjeevi and I were a part of the Karnataka team for the Cricket Celebrity League (CCL). He was someone who would never take any tension or stress. He is what I call a “chill friend”. In fact, he would take the stress out of you. You can never speak to him seriously. He used to call me ‘Sixer Bhaskar’ because of our good scores in cricket. I will terribly miss that.”

Shivarajkumar

“As a young boy, Chiranjeevi used to accompany his uncle Kishore Sarja to shooting set. I’ve known him since then and was thrilled when he entered the film industry. We used to chat on a variety of topics and he would even take fitness and diet tips from me. He was more like a younger brother to me. It’s hard for me to accept that he is no more.”