Kannada director Pradeep Raj, who gave a break to Rocking Star Yash in Kirathaka, passed away on Thursday due to Covid-19.
Sandalwood woke up to the shocking news of noted director Pradeep Raj's death. The filmmaker succumbed to Covid-19 on the wee hours of Thursday, January 20.
He was aged 46 and survived by his wife and two children. He breathed his last at a private hospital in Pondicherry. The final rites will be completed in Pondicherry itself.
Pradeep Raj was a diabetic patient and also had liver issues.
Who Was Pradeep Raj?
Pradeep Raj came to the limelight with Kirathaka, which starred Yash. The movie is considered as a turning point in Yash's career as it helped him leave a good impact on viewers with his performance. The movie ran 50 days in over 20 theatres in Karnataka while it completed 100 days in a few theatres.
Following the success of Kirathaka, Pradeep Raj got plenty of offers. In the process, he directed Ganesh's Mr 420, Duniya Vijay's Rajani Kantha and Ninasam Sathish's Anjada Gandu. Bangalore 23 and Kicchu were his other projects.
He was also supposed to make Kirathaka 2 and had launched it after KGF: Chapter 1 hit the screens. However, the movie did not progress as the Rocking Star got busy with KGF: Chapter 2. Finally, it was dropped and he decided to make it with newcomers.
The shooting of the movie was completed last year and the movie is due for release. Unfortunately, he died before the film hit the screens.
Fans and his well-wishers are expressing their condolence on social media sites. Actor Jayaram Karthik took Twitter to express his grief over the untimely death of Pradeep Raj.
He tweeted, "May your soul rest in peace #pradeepraj sir Disappointed faceFolded hands #bengaluru560023 #director #Sandalwood #kfi. [sic]"
