CHENNAI: The spectacled face and a charming smile being his USP, the late Sarath Babu was the quintessential “friend” who would either travel with the hero or fall out of favour, setting the stage for interesting duels with the male lead, which in most cases was Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan.

The 71-year-old actor was undergoing treatment at a hospital and the end came on Monday afternoon following multiple organ failure.

Stars and actors condoled his death and fondly recalled their professional and personal relationship with the actor.

In a career spanning five decades, he acted in about 250 films in his mother tongue Telugu, besides Tamil and Kannada.

His career got a boost early on with the film Idi Katha Kadu in Telugu directed by K Balachandar. The film also featured superstars Kamal Haasan and Chiranjeevi.

Expressing condolences, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the actor would be remembered for his works in several languages during his long career, while Chief Minister MK Stalin recalled how the characters that Sarath Babu played were still in the minds of fans in Tamil Nadu.

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