Film critic-actor Kathi Mahesh no more

Noted film critic and actor Kathi Mahesh is no more. He was 44 and is survived by his wife and son. Mahesh, who met with a fatal car accident on the Chennai-Kolkata National Highway in Kodavalur Mandal, Andhra Pradesh, on June 25, died while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Chennai on Saturday.

Mahesh, reportedly, sustained severe head, eye injuries, and multiple facial wounds. He was shifted to Sankara Nethralaya wherein the doctors performed eye surgery. He was later shifted to a private hospital in Chennai for better treatment. While he showed signs of recovery, his condition deteriorated after he developed respiratory issues on Saturday.

Born in Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, Mahesh studied Film Theory at the Hyderabad Central University (HCU). His journey in the film industry began with his directorial short film Ooru Chivara Illu (2011), which is inspired by a story written by Devarakonda Balagangadhara Tilak. He also worked as a co-writer for AyodhyaKumar Krishnamsetty's Minugurulu (2014) and turned a feature film director with the crowd-funded film, Pesarattu (2015). 

He also played character roles in over a dozen films including Hrudaya Kaleyam, Nene Raju Nene Mantri, Kobbari Matta, Amma Rajyam lo Kadapa Biddalu, and Krack among others. Mahesh also participated as one of the contestants in the popular Telugu reality show Bigg Boss season 1.

Actors Manchu Manoj, Aadarsh Balakrishna, and several others from the Telugu film industry expressed their condolences to the members of the bereaved family.