Chiranjeevi Sarja (17 October 1980 - 7 June 2020) was an Indian film actor who appeared in Kannada films. Hailing from a family of actors, Sarja acted in more than 20 films in a career spanning 11 years.

Chiranjeevi Sarja
Born17 October 1980
Died7 June 2020 (aged 39)[N 1]
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Other namesChiru[2]
OccupationActor
Years active2009–2020
Spouse
(m. 2018)
Children1
RelativesSarja family

Early life and family

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Sarja was born as the first child of Ammaji and Vijay Kumar.[3] He comes from a family of actors in the South Indian film industry; his maternal grandfather Shakti Prasad, maternal uncle Arjun Sarja and younger brother Dhruva Sarja are all actors, while another maternal uncle Kishore Sarja was a director.[4] He completed his schooling from Baldwin Boys' High School before graduating from Vijaya College, Bangalore. He worked as an assistant director to his uncle Arjun for about four years.[5]

Career

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Sarja appeared in 22 films, beginning with the 2009 film Vayuputra which was directed by his uncle Kishore Sarja[6] and earned him the Innovative Film Award for Best Debut (Male).[2] A number of his films were remakes of those from other Indian languages,[7] including the action film Varadhanayaka (2013), the supernatural thriller Whistle (2013), the horror comedy Chandralekha (2014), the action film Rudra Tandava (2015) and the action thriller Amma I Love You (2018).[8] Among other notable films of Sarja are the mystery thriller Aatagara (2015), which was based on Agatha Christie's book And Then There Were None, and the horror film Aake (2017), both of which were directed by K. M. Chaitanya.[9]

Three of Sarja's films were released in 2020; Shivarjuna turned out to be his last appearance before his death. He had five more films lined up which were in various stages of production at the time of his sudden passing.[10]

Personal life

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In October 2017, he was engaged to actress Meghana Raj.[11] They got married in a Christian ceremony on 30 April 2018,[12] followed by a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony on 2 May 2018 at Palace Grounds.[13][14] At the time of his death, they were expecting their first child. Their son Raayan Raj Sarja was born on 22 October 2020, four months after his death.[15][16]

Death

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On 6 June 2020, Sarja suffered convulsions and complained of breathlessness. The following day, he developed chest pain and collapsed around 1:10 p.m. (IST). He was taken to a private hospital in Jayanagar in "an unresponsive state"; the doctors declared him dead at 3:48 p.m. (IST), citing cardiac arrest as the cause of death.[3][17] Sarja's body was laid in repose at his residence in Basavanagudi where actors, politicians and fans visited to pay their respects. His funeral was held on 8 June at Dhruva Sarja's farmhouse on Kanakapura Road.

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2009 Vayuputra Balu Innovative Film Award for Best Debut (Male) [18]
2010 Gandedhe Krishna [19]
Chirru Chiru [20]
2011 Dandam Dashagunam Surya [21]
Kempegowda Ram Cameo appearance [22]
2013 Varadhanayaka Hari [23]
Whistle Ram [24]
2014 Chandralekha Chandhu [25]
Ajith Ajith [26]
2015 Rudra Tandava Shivaraj [27]
Aatagara Mrutyunjay [28]
Ram-Leela Ram [29]
2017 Aake Arjun / Shiva [30]
Bharjari Soldier Cameo appearance [31]
2018 Prema Baraha Hanuman devotee Cameo appearance in "Jai Hanumantha" song [32]
Samhaara Shrishaila [33][34]
Seizer Seizer [35]
Amma I Love You Sidharth [36]
2019 Yajamana Himself Special appearance [37]
Sinnga Singa [38]
2020 Khaki Chiru [39]
Aadyaa Aditya Shankar [40]
Shivarjuna Shiva [41]
2021 Ranam Devdas Posthumous release [42]
2023 Raja Marthanda Raja Marthanda Posthumous release [43]

Music video

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List of Vijay Sethupathi music video credits
Year Title Role Performer(s) Notes Ref.
2017 "Party Anthem" Himself Raghu Dixit Promotional song for the film Happy New Year [44]

Notes

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  1. ^ Most sources state Chiranjeevi's age at his death as 39.[1]

References

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  1. ^ "What happened to Chiranjeevi Sarja on his last day? Meghana Raj recalls". India Today. 6 June 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b "The bona fide actor". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Kannada actor Chiranjeevi Sarja passes away". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  4. ^ "Chiranjeevi Sarja's death: Sandalwood's illustrious Sarja family loses a star". The Week. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  5. ^ "Kannada actor Chiranjeevi Sarja dies in Bengaluru, he was 39". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Kannada Actor Chiranjeevi Sarja Passes Away at 39". News 18. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Chiranjeevi on a Remake Roll". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  8. ^ "Remembering Chiranjeevi Sarja: 5 popular movies that prove he was a solid performer". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  9. ^ "Chiranjeevi Sarja and Chaitanya to collaborate for the third time". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  10. ^ "Kannada actor Chiranjeevi Sarja passes away". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  11. ^ "Chiranjeevi and Meghana Raj got engaged". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  12. ^ "Actress Meghna Raj weds Chiranjeevi Sarja". The Week. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  13. ^ "Kannada Actors Meghana Raj And Chiranjeevi Sarja Get Married". NDTV. 3 May 2018. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  14. ^ "Chiranjeevi Sarja and Meghana Raj were eagerly awaiting an addition to their family when tragedy struck". OnManorama. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  15. ^ "Chiranjeevi Sarja is back: Meghana Raj gives birth to a baby boy - Times of India". The Times of India. 23 October 2020.
  16. ^ "Chirranjeevi Sarja's wife Meghana Raj blessed with baby boy". The Indian Express. 23 October 2020.
  17. ^ "Kannada actor Chiranjeevi Sarja passes away at 39". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  18. ^ "Innovative Film Awards, star studded, star oriented". chitratara.com. 3 May 2010. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  19. ^ "Gandedhe is for the 'brave hearts' only!". Rediff. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  20. ^ "Chiru is for die-hard romantics". Rediff. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  21. ^ "'Dandam dashagunam' is not quite there". DNA. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  22. ^ "On my pinboard: Chiranjeevi Sarja". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  23. ^ "Sudeep's 'Varadanayaka' to be released on Nov 23". News 18. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  24. ^ "Whistle delivered Hot!". Bangalore Mirror. Archived from the original on 16 July 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  25. ^ "Chiru feels all his hard work will soon be appreciated". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  26. ^ "Chiranjeevi begins shoot for Ajith". The Times of India. 12 February 2013. Archived from the original on 24 February 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  27. ^ "Rudratandava: The rise of the common man". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  28. ^ "Movie review 'Aatagara': A mysterious entertainer". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  29. ^ "A festive entertainer". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  30. ^ "Aake: An experiment in horror that fails midway". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  31. ^ "Kannada Actor Chiranjeevi Sarja Passes Away at 39". The Quint. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  32. ^ "Arjun Sarja says Jai Anjaneya". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  33. ^ "Chiranjeevi Sarja plays a blind action hero in Samhaara". The Indian Express. 20 November 2017. Archived from the original on 6 October 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  34. ^ "Hariprriya, Chiranjeevi Sarja talk about 'Yenachariyu' song from their film 'Samhaara' | Kannada Movie News". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 9 September 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  35. ^ "'Seizer' review: Mediocre action plot, made worse by the execution". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  36. ^ "'Amma I Love You' review: Too much mother sentiment, too little originality". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  37. ^ E., Anitha (15 January 2019). ಸಂಕ್ರಾಂತಿಗೆ ಡಿ-ಬಾಸ್ ಉಡುಗೊರೆ:ಹೇಗಿದೆ ಗೊತ್ತಾ ಯಜಮಾನನ ಶಿವನಂದಿ. News 18 (in Kannada). Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  38. ^ Shyam Prasad S (19 July 2019). "Sinnga movie review: Prem's would be proud of this Kutty". Archived from the original on 21 July 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  39. ^ "Chiranjeevi Sarja to play the lead role in 'Khaki'". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 November 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  40. ^ "Sruthi Hariharan, Chiranjeevi Sarja to resume work on the Kannada remake of Kshanam". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  41. ^ "Shivaarjun Movie Review: The story line and comic scenes fail to impress". Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  42. ^ "Ranam Movie Review : A nice intention overshadowed by shoddy making". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  43. ^ "Chiranjeevi Sarja's son launches trailer of late actor's film 'Rajamarthanda'". thenewsminute.com. 19 February 2021.
  44. ^ "'Party Anthem' continues to rock in the new year too". Bangalore Mirror. 3 January 2017.
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