Shivaraj Kumar in Tagaru
Shivaraj Kumar has given his condolence message to M Karunanidhi's family.PR Handout

Kannada superstar Shivaraj Kumar has mourned the death of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, who died on Tuesday, August 7, due to age-related ailments. The actor has described the politician's demise as a great loss to the country.

The actor, who is popularly known as Shivanna, hailed M Karunanidhi for his political acumen and the love for his language. "He was one of the powerful politicians of India who never lost an election. His party might have been defeated at times, but he did not even loss a single election."

Shivanna says that M Karunanidhi was not merely a politician, but also a good writer. The Kannada actor also recalled a popular dialogue written by the DMK leader for Sivaji Ganeshan's Parasakthi and admires his simplicity.

The actor also talked about the support lent by the DMK leader when his late father Dr Rajkumar was kidnapped by forest brigand Veerappan. "During those days, when we approached him for the hassle-free release of my father, he responded to us like a family member. We realised that he felt our pain. He had great respect for Appa," the actor claims, whiling admiring M Karunanidhi's fighting spirit even when his health condition was in a bad state.

"We will worship him in our hearts. We pray to the god to give enough strength to his family to bear the loss and carry forward the legacy left by M Karunanidhi," Shivaraj Kumar ends.

Shivaraj Kumar was born and brought up in Chennai. After doing his studies in the capital city of Tamil Nadu, he returned to Bengaluru and pursued a career in acting.

M Karunanidhi was laid to rest with state honours at Marina Beach in Chennai.