Veteran Kannada actor Harish Rai has passed away at the age of 55. He breathed his last in Bengaluru after battling thyroid cancer, as per reports. He is remembered for his role of ‘Chacha’ in KGF and Don Rai in the cult classic, Om. Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, DK Shivakumar took to X (formerly Twitter) and shared a heartfelt tribute for the actor.
As per the reports, the KGF actor was undergoing cancer treatment, which had spread to his stomach, leaving his body weak and thin. Remembering the “renoened villain actor of Kannada cinema,” wrote Shivakumar, he called his demise a “sorrowful event.” “The film industry has become poorer with the death of Harish Roy,” the deputy CM wrote. He then recalled his popular films like Hello Yama and condoled the loss of the legendary actor.
The news came days after social media influencer Gopi Gowdru shared a video of an appeal to raise money, given the high cost of his cancer treatment. In fact, Rai expressed his desire to return to film, if his health improves.
Harish Rai’s health struggles
As per several reports, Rai was quite vocal about the high cost of his treatment and shared that a single dose of his medication was priced at Rs 3.55 lakh. He was reportedly prescribed 3 injections across 63 days, which would amount to Rs 10 lakh per cycle.
Harish Rai’s struggle with cancer was diagnosed even during the filming of KGF: Chapter 2 where kept a beard to hide the swelling. Succumbing to Stage IV thyroid cancer, the actor breathed his last at 55, after a long struggle with fatal condition.
From shopkeeper to actor
Harish Rai was reportedly a gold shop owner and belonged to a modest family but he was always fascinated with cinema, since a young age He took up roles in Kannada cinema and 1990s and shot to fame after his iconic role in ‘Om’ (1995) His reputation as an actor started to precede him as gave the KGF universe the memorable role of Khasim Chacha.
Acting in Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu films, Harish Rai cemented his image in films like Operation Antha (1995), Jodi Hakki (1997), Nalla (2004), Dandupalya (2012), Sanju Weds Geetha (2011), Bangalore Underworld (2017) and blockbuster KGF: Chapter 1 and 2 (2018, 2022). Throughout his impactful contribution to cinema, Harish Rai has appeared in over 90 films, across genres and languages, across three decades. His passing leaves a dark mark in Kannada cinema history.
