Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan and more condole the demise of actor Rajesh

The Tamil film fraternity has been in grief due to the demise of veteran actor Rajesh, who passed away at 75 on Thursday morning. Actors Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Radikaa Sarathkumar and more have now taken to their official social media pages to condole the actor’s demise.

Rajinikanth, who has performed with Rajesh in Thai Veedu, took to his X handle to condole the actor’s demise by saying, “The news of the untimely death of my close friend, actor Rajesh, shocks me. It gives me immense pain. A wonderful man, may his soul rest in peace. My deepest condolences to his family and friends.”

Kamal Haasan, who has acted along with Rajesh in films like Aval Oru Thodar Kathai, Mahanadhi, and more, wrote in Tamil, “Among the sought-after performers, my dear friend Rajesh was the one who read the most and thought about what he read. His passing, who lived his life with undiminished enthusiasm and activity until the end, is deeply saddening. I extend my condolences to his family, who are grieving his loss.”

Radikaa Sarathkumar, who has worked with Rajesh in Metti, among other films, wrote, “Deeply shocked and saddened to hear of Rajesh’s unexpected demise. Shared so many movies together and had a deep respect for his wide knowledge of cinema and life; he will be missed by family, friends and the film fraternity.”

Simran shared, “Deeply saddened to hear about the passing of veteran actor Rajesh sir. A gifted artist and a gentleman. My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. May his soul rest in peace. Om Shanti”

Actor T Rajendhar said, “Actor Rajesh was a talented, eloquent, and unique actor in the Tamil film industry who made his own mark. A versatile artist, he was full of character and had the ability to speak Tamil well. I am deeply saddened by the news of his passing. I offer my condolences and deepest sympathies to his family, the art world, and his fans who are grieving his loss.”

The veteran actor landed his debut role in K Balachander's critically acclaimed Aval Oru Thodar Kathai (1974), but his first major lead role came through in Kanni Paruvathile (1979), directed by BV Balaguru and co-starring Bhagyaraj. He would later go on to reteam with the director-actor in Andha 7 Naatkal (1981), which further cemented his identity in Tamil cinema.

Besides Tamil films, he was also featured in a few Telugu and Malayalam films. Rajesh was also a notable dubbing artist who voiced Tamil dialogues for notable Malayalam stars like Murali and Nedumudi Venu.

He was last seen in Sriram Raghavan's Merry Christmas (2024), a Hindi-Tamil bilingual which featured Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif in lead roles.