Tollywood comedian Venu Madhav passes away

Popular Telugu comedian Venu Madhav passed away at a private hospital in Secunderabad after a prolonged illness. He was admitted to the hospital on September 6 for chronic liver and kidney disease and was on dialysis.

His vitals including blood pressure, pulse rate, and breathing dropped drastically and he was put on ventilator support on Tuesday. He breathed his last at 12:21 pm today, September 25. He is survived by wife Srivani and two children.

Born on September 28, 1968, in a middle-class family in Kodad, Venu Madhav started his career as a mimicry artist and hit the spotlight with the SV Krishna Reddy-directorial Sampradayam (1996), starring Krishna.

In a career spanning over two decades, Venu acted in over 600 films in Telugu and Tamil. He got a big break when director A Karunakaran offered him a role in Tholi Prema (1999), where he played actor Pawan Kalyan's friend, Arnold Sekhar, who tries to end his life after love failure.

Over the next couple of decades, Venu Madhav went onto establish himself as one of the leading comedians in Telugu cinema. Comedy was his forte, but he proved that he was not just a comedian and made his debut as the lead actor with SV Krishna Reddy's comic-caper Hungama (2005) and followed it up with Bhookailas (2007).

He also produced and acted in Premabhishekam (2008). He was a good mimicry artist and the skits he performed during political party meetings and film events were extremely popular. He also hosted several programmes as a television host in the 90s. His portrayal of Mahesh Nanda from Pedda Waltair in the SS Rajamouli-directorial Chatrapathi (2005) fetched him many accolades and awards.

Some of his best-known performances were in Thammudu (1999), Aadi (2002), Arya, Sye, Shankar Dada MBBS, Mass (2004), Lakshmi, Pokiri (2006), where he played Vice-President of Beggers Association.

His untimely death has dealt another blow to Telugu cinema, which already lost several comedians like MS Narayana, Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam, Kondavalasa Lakshmana Rao, and Gundu Hanumantha Rao.

Last seen in Dr Paramanandaiah Students Gang (2016), Venu had been off the limelight for a brief period. His mortal remains were shifted to his residence in Mangapuram colony, Moula Ali and will be moved to the Film Chamber tomorrow, September 26. His last rites will be performed tomorrow at a crematorium in Secunderabad.

Venu Madhav's sudden death came as a shock for the Telugu fraternity and his hundreds of fans. Many, including senior actors and technicians, rushed to his residence to pay their homage.

The Movie Artists Association (MAA) expressed shock over the death of Venu and remembered his contribution to the association and the film industry. Actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan, who worked with Venu in films like Gokulamlo Seetha, Tholi Prema, and Annavaram fondly remembers the time he spent with him on the sets. "He entertained us for decades with his perfect comic timing and rib-tickling dialogues. He made everyone on the sets laugh out loud with his excellent mimicry skills. He had shown a lot of interest in present-day politics and his death has created a void that just can't be filled," said Jana Sena chief Pawn Kalyan.

Actor Chiranjeevi stated that Venu Madhav proved his mark in the industry with his versatile comedy timing. "Venu made his presence felt in many roles that are tailor-made for him. We shared a good rapport ever since we worked together in Master (1997). He is gone too soon," said Chiranjeevi.