Hyderabad: Veteran actor Sarath Babu passed away at the age of 71. Known for his roles in Telugu gumovies, Sarath Babu breathed his last on Monday while undergoing treatment after a prolonged illness at a hospital in Hyderabad where he was admitted last month. According to official reports, the actor died due to multiple organ failure. The mortal remains are likely to be taken to Chennai for last rites.
Sarath Babu was born in Amadalavalasa of Andhra Pradesh with the name Satyanarayana Dixit. Later, when he entered the film industry, he changed his name to his current one. The news of Sarath Babu's death sent shock waves in the southern film industry with leading film personalities and political leaders expressing their condolences.
Sarath Babu, who acted in several movies as a lead actor, earned a place in the film industry with his brilliant performances. Some of his well-known films include K Viswanath's 'Sagara Sangamam', 'Apathbandhavudu' and Nagarjuna-starrer 'Criminal'. He has also starred in a number of Tamil movies, especially alongside superstar Rajinikanth in films, including 'Mullum Malarum', 'Velaikkaran', 'Annamalai' and 'Muthu'.
The versatile actor began his acting career in 1973 with the Telugu film "Rama Rajyam" and later became popular with Tamil movies "Pattina Pravesam" (1977) and "Nizhal Nijamagiradhu" (1978) directed by K Balachander. Known predominantly for his work in Telugu and Tamil movies, he acted in more than 200 films, including a few Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi films and bagged Nandi awards nine times for the best actor in supporting roles.
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Son of Vijayashankara Dixitulu and Sushiladevi from Amdalavalasa in Srikakulam district, he dreamed of becoming an IPS officer since his childhood while his father wanted him to join his business, but with the support of his mother, he entered the film industry and established himself as an actor. He also worked with famous actors like NT Rama Rao, Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth and Chiranjeevi
Some of the movies, which brought him recognition as an actor include, ''Guppedu Manasu', 'Sringara Rama', '47 Days', 'Butterfly', 'Sitara', 'Anveshana', 'Swathimuthyam', 'Sagarasangam', 'Chadarangam', 'Criminal' and 'Annaiya'. Sarathbabu excelled not only in movies, but also in serials. The serial 'Antarangalu' aired on ETV brought him closer to the television audience.
