Noted comedian Jaya Sarathi passes away in Hyderabad

Tollywood yesteryears comedian Sarathi, also known as Kadali Jaya Sarathi, passed away at the age of 83 due to an age-related illness. The actor was admitted to a private hospital in the city recently as he had been suffering from a kidney-related issue from a month now. He breathed his last at 2:30 AM on Monday morning, leaving fans of retro cinema and the Telugu film industry mourning.
Sarathi acted in more than 372 films in a career that lasted for about 60 years. He kick-started his career in 1961 with the film Sita Rama Kalyanam in which he played Nalakubara and there was no looking back after that. But he truly grew to fame when he portrayed the hilarious Kashinatha Shastri in the 1976 film Bhakta Kannappa and Raja’s friend who covers at the sight of the titular Jaganmohini in the 1978 film. His signature laugh was so famous; he was particularly roped in for the 1983 Chiranjeevi-starrer Gudachari No 1.

The comedian who held his own among comedy greats like Allu Ramalingaiah, Relangi and more, once stated in an interview that moving to Madras to pursue a career in films after making a name for himself in the theatre circuit was the best thing he had ever done. The actor was active when the Telugu film industry was moved from Madras to Hyderabad, being one of the founding members of the Movie Artistes Association and the founding treasurer of the Andhra Pradesh Cineworkers Association. After he pulled back from acting in the early 90s, he was close enough to Krishnam Raju to look after the technicalities of some of his films like Intinti Ramayanam and Zamindarugari Ammayi.

His last rites will be held at Maha Prasthanam in the city on Monday afternoon.