Renowned Kannada actor Rajesh, also known as 'Kala Thapasvi,' died in a private hospital in the early hours of Saturday at the age of 89. He'd been in the hospital for a week. Rajesh had featured in over 150 films over the span of his four-decade career. 'Kala Thapasvi Rajesh Atmakathe,' his autobiography, was released in 2014. His daughter Asha Rani is married to Arjun Sarja, a multilingual south actress.

Rajesh was born in Bengaluru in 1935 as Munichowdappa. He got interested in theatre as a child and joined Sudarshana Nataka Mandali without his parents' knowledge.  Rajesh, acting as Vidyasagar, joined the theatre group under the pretext of going to tuitions. He began his career as a typist in a government agency before forming Shakthi Nataka Mandali, his own theatre group.

His stage experiments led to film roles, and he made his big-screen debut in 'Veera Sankalpa.' When he was cast as the lone hero in 'Namma Ooru,' which went on to become a superhit in 1968, he was renamed Rajesh. His major films include 'Gange Gowri,' 'Sati Sukanya,' 'Beluvalada Madilalli,' 'Kappu Bilupu,' and 'Brundavana.' He was well-known in the Kannada cinema industry as one of the leading actors. Rajesh's mortal remains would be kept at his Vidyaranyapura residence till the evening, allowing people to pay their respects. In the evening, the last rites will be performed.

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