Santhosh Balaraj Death: Kannada Star Dies at 34, Sandalwood Mourns: Kannada film fraternity is stunned by the untimely and tragic demise of one of its biggest stars Santhosh Balaraj, who succumbed to death in the young age of 34, on Tuesday morning (August 5). The actor was already in a severe state of jaundice and in recent days he was in a bad shape despite his continued treatment.
At about 9:30 a.m. Santhosh took his final breath in Apollo Hospital located in Kumaraswamy Layout in Karnataka. He spent an entire few days at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) as his condition kept getting worse. Reports also showed that he had incurred liver and kidney complications associated with jaundice before his death which caused him to lapse into a coma.
From ‘Kempa’ to ‘Kariya 2’: A Promising Journey Cut Short
Santhosh was considered best when it comes to his leading role in the 2017 action-gangster movie entitled Kariya 2, which was produced by his father, Anekal balaraj under the banner of Santosh Enterprises (SE). The film enjoyed success and it has a rating of 7.1 on Imdb. It involved some of the main leading actors such as Ajay Ghosh, Mayuri Kyatari, Sadhu Kokila and Nagesh Karthik.
He first appeared in a movie in 2009 in the movie Kempa with fellow actors Avinash, Ruchita Prasad and Pradeep Singh Rawat. He proceeded to play in movies such as the critical success labeled, Ganapa (2015) and also Sathyam (2024). He also appeared in a film called Berklee directed by Sumant Kranthi and featured Charan Raj, Simran Natekar and Raja Balwadi.
A Personal Loss Just Months After His Father’s Death
Santhosh was the son of a veteran Kannada film producer Anekal Balaraj who is behind the hit movies such as Kariya, Kariya 2, Jackpot. May 2025: Tragedy was first struck on the family in the beginning of the year when Anekal Balaraj was killed in a road accident earlier this year. According to reports, he was knocked down by a speeding motorbike and succumbed to a horrible head injury.
Santhosh lived with his mother and was not married at the time of his passing.
Another Star Lost: Malayalam Actor Shanavas Also Dies at 71
Malayalam actor Shanavas, son of legendary Prem Nazir also died on Monday night, in another heartbreaking news to the Indian cinema world. According to Manorama Online he was receiving treatment of the heart and kidney problem.
A Void in Sandalwood
The untimely death of Santhosh Balaraj has created an enormous gap in Sandalwood which is the Kannada film industry. Fans and the colleagues with whom he had been acting are lamenting because a promising young actor has lost his life just as his career was about to shine.
Memories of his inspirational performances and powerful magnetism onscreen have begun to spill out across social media, as fans pay tribute.
🕯️ Rest in peace, Santhosh Balaraj. Your journey may have been short, but your impact will not be forgotten.