Chiranjeevi Sarja (17 October 1984 - 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.
Early life and family
Sarja was born as the first child of Ammaji and Vijay Kumar.[1] 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.[2] 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.[3]
Career
Sarja appeared in 22 films, beginning with the 2009 film Vayuputra which was directed by his uncle Kishore Sarja[4] and earned him the Innovative Film Award for Best Debut (Male).[5] A number of his films were remakes of those from other Indian languages,[6] 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).[7] His other notable films include the mystery thriller Aatagara (2015), which was based on Agatha Christie's novel And Then There Were None, and the horror film Aake (2017), both of which were directed by K. M. Chaitanya.[8]
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.[9]
Personal life
In October 2017, he was engaged to actress Meghana Raj.[10] They got married in a Christian ceremony on 30 April 2018,[11] followed by a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony on 2 May 2018 at Palace Grounds.[12][13] At the time of his death, they were expecting their first child. Their son was born on 22 October 2020, four months after his death.[14][15]
Death
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.[1][16] 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
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Template:Abbr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Vayuputra | Balu | Innovative Film Award for Best Debut (Male) | [17] |
| 2010 | Gandedhe | Krishna | [18] | |
| Chirru | Chiru | [19] | ||
| 2011 | Dandam Dashagunam | Surya | [20] | |
| Kempegowda | Ram | Cameo appearance | [21] | |
| 2013 | Varadhanayaka | Hari | [22] | |
| Whistle | Ram | [23] | ||
| 2014 | Chandralekha | Chandhu | [24] | |
| Ajith | Ajith | [25] | ||
| 2015 | Rudra Tandava | Shivaraj | [26] | |
| Aatagara | Mrutyunjay | [27] | ||
| Ramleela | Ram | [28] | ||
| 2017 | Aake | Arjun / Shiva | [29] | |
| Bharjari | Soldier | Cameo appearance | [30] | |
| 2018 | Prema Baraha | Hanuman devotee | Cameo appearance in "Jai Hanumantha" song | [31] |
| Samhaara | Shrishaila | [32][33] | ||
| Seizer | Seizer | [34] | ||
| Amma I Love You | Sidharth | [35] | ||
| 2019 | Yajamana | Himself | Special appearance | [36] |
| Sinnga | Singa | [37] | ||
| 2020 | Khaki | Chiru | [38] | |
| Aadyaa | Aditya Shankar | [39] | ||
| Shivarjuna | Shiva | [40] | ||
| 2021 | Ranam | Devdas | Posthumous release | [41] |
| 2023 | Raja Marthanda | Raja Marthanda (Final film role) | Posthumous release | [42] |
Music video
| Year | Title | Role | Performer(s) | Notes | Template:Refh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | "Party Anthem" | Himself | Template:Sort | Promotional song for the film Happy New Year | [43] |
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kannada actor Chiranjeevi Sarja passes away. Deccan Herald. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ↑ Chiranjeevi Sarja's death: Sandalwood's illustrious Sarja family loses a star. The Week. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ↑ Kannada actor Chiranjeevi Sarja dies in Bengaluru, he was 39. The News Minute. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ↑ Kannada Actor Chiranjeevi Sarja Passes Away at 39. News 18. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbona - ↑ Chiranjeevi on a Remake Roll. The New Indian Express. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ↑ Remembering Chiranjeevi Sarja: 5 popular movies that prove he was a solid performer. Deccan Herald. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ↑ Chiranjeevi Sarja and Chaitanya to collaborate for the third time. The New Indian Express. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ↑ Kannada actor Chiranjeevi Sarja passes away. The New Indian Express. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ↑ Chiranjeevi and Meghana Raj got engaged. Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ↑ Actress Meghna Raj weds Chiranjeevi Sarja. The Week. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ↑ Kannada Actors Meghana Raj And Chiranjeevi Sarja Get Married. NDTV(3 May 2018). Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ↑ Chiranjeevi Sarja and Meghana Raj were eagerly awaiting an addition to their family when tragedy struck. OnManorama. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ↑ Chiranjeevi Sarja is back: Meghana Raj gives birth to a baby boy - Times of India. The Times of India(23 October 2020).
- ↑ Chirranjeevi Sarja's wife Meghana Raj blessed with baby boy(23 October 2020).
- ↑ Kannada actor Chiranjeevi Sarja passes away at 39. The Hindu. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ↑ Innovative Film Awards, star studded, star oriented. chitratara.com(3 May 2010). Retrieved 28 January 2017.
- ↑ Gandedhe is for the 'brave hearts' only!. Rediff. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ↑ Chiru is for die-hard romantics. Rediff. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ↑ 'Dandam dashagunam' is not quite there. DNA. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ↑ On my pinboard: Chiranjeevi Sarja. Deccan Herald. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ↑ Sudeep's 'Varadanayaka' to be released on Nov 23. News 18. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ↑ Whistle delivered Hot!. Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
- ↑ Chiru feels all his hard work will soon be appreciated. Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ↑ Chiranjeevi begins shoot for Ajith(12 February 2013). Retrieved 17 August 2013.
- ↑ Rudratandava: The rise of the common man. The Hindu. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ↑ Movie review 'Aatagara': A mysterious entertainer. Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ↑ A festive entertainer. Deccan Herald. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ↑ Aake: An experiment in horror that fails midway. The Hindu. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ↑ Kannada Actor Chiranjeevi Sarja Passes Away at 39. The Quint. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ↑ Arjun Sarja says Jai Anjaneya. The New Indian Express. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ↑ Chiranjeevi Sarja plays a blind action hero in Samhaara. The Indian Express(20 November 2017). Retrieved 6 October 2019.
- ↑ Hariprriya, Chiranjeevi Sarja talk about 'Yenachariyu' song from their film 'Samhaara' | Kannada Movie News. The Times of India. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
- ↑ 'Seizer' review: Mediocre action plot, made worse by the execution. The News Minute. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ↑ 'Amma I Love You' review: Too much mother sentiment, too little originality. The News Minute. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ↑ {{{title}}}. News 18(15 January 2019). Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ↑ Sinnga movie review: Prem's would be proud of this Kutty(19 July 2019). Retrieved 21 July 2019.
- ↑ Chiranjeevi Sarja to play the lead role in 'Khaki'. The Times of India. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
- ↑ Sruthi Hariharan, Chiranjeevi Sarja to resume work on the Kannada remake of Kshanam. The Times of India. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
- ↑ Shivaarjun Movie Review: The story line and comic scenes fail to impress. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
- ↑ Ranam Movie Review : A nice intention overshadowed by shoddy making. The Times of India. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ↑ Chiranjeevi Sarja's son launches trailer of late actor's film 'Rajamarthanda'. thenewsminute.com(February 19, 2021).
- ↑ 'Party Anthem' continues to rock in the new year too(3 January 2017).