P Vasu mourns the demise of Sarath Babu: He was a natural actor and a good friend of mine

Following the demise of veteran actor Sarath Babu, filmmaker P Vasu, who worked with the former in films like Love Birds, and Nagavalli, expressed his condolences. 

Speaking to Cinema Express, he said, "I have known Sarath Babu since the time he worked with my father Peethambaran's production company in the 1970s when he entered the film industry. He was a very close friend of mine. I will always remember his ever-smiling face and the lovely time I spent with him while shooting for the Telugu film Nagavalli. Also, he played Nagma's father character in Love Birds. We had a good time filming in London for 25 days."

The filmmaker further added that he wanted to cast Sarath Babu for Prathap Pothen's role in his debut film, Paneer Pushpangal. He said that although Sarath Babu loved the script, at that time, Sukumaran, who was first supposed to back this film, could not afford him. "He is a natural actor, as he nails subtle expressions. His dialogue delivery was meticulous, even though his mother tongue was not Tamil. I am unable to believe that he passed away this early. He used to be very health-conscious and exercised regularly," he added.

It may be noted that Sarath Babu was reportedly under treatment for multi-organ damage. After his condition worsened, he breathed his last on Monday. He was 71.

Sarath Babu, who made his debut in a Telugu film, Rama Rajyam, in 1973, became famous for his work in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi films. Sarath Babu has bagged Nandi awards three times for best acting in supporting roles.