Mysuru: Senior Rangayana artiste Manjunath Belakere passed away at a private hospital here on Monday. The 53-year-old artiste was unwell over the last few days. A native of Harihar, he had been an artiste with Rangayana since 1989. He was one among those actors who was hand-picked by B.V. Karanth, former Rangayana Director, to join the theatre repertory.
Throughout his career, Belakere has been a part of many theatre projects taken up by Rangayana. Apart from showcasing his acting skills, he was also a playwright and a director. Some of his famous plays include ‘Idi Munde Magalu’, ‘Sharifa’, ‘Nannolu Ni Ninnolu Na’, ‘Mukthi’ and ‘Kadala Don.’
Due to his outstanding skills towards theatre, he had won many awards including the Karnataka Nataka Academy Award. He also worked as the Principal of Bharatiya Ranga Sikshana Kendra, Rangayana. Last rite was held at Chamundi Hill. He leaves behind his wife Prashanthi and son Pramath. Kannada and Culture Minister Umashree has condoled the demise of theatre artiste Manjunath Belikere. “May God give enough strength to his family members to bear the huge loss” He was a talented artiste, she added.