The mortal remains of Rajesh, who hails from the tribal community in Balle in H.D. Kote taluk whose tryst with the celluloid world was cut short when he fell off the second floor of his house in the city and died on Sunday, was laid to rest at his native place on Monday.
A large crowd, comprising his friends, people from the surrounding villages and his fans, visited the tribal hamlet at Nagarahole National Park to pay their last respects. Rajesh is survived by his parents Krishnappa and Lakshmamma, two sisters and his wife.
Rajesh fell from the second floor of his rented house in Mysore and landed on the iron railings of the compound. He died of severe injuries sustained in the process and was declared brought dead by the doctors at a private hospital.
A tribal youth, he basked in fame and walked away with the top prize in a Kannada television reality show and was offered a role in a movie, Jungle Jackie which did not fare well. However, in the interim and before the movie could be released (In September 2013), Rajesh was hospitalised for psychiatric problems, which was attributed to the sudden change in his lifestyle – from that of a tribal living in the jungles to a life of glamour in the film industry.
As Rajesh’s body was taken from Mysore to Balle in Antharsanthe range of the Nagarahole National Park, people from the local villages lined up to pay their respects to him. Aishwarya, who was cast opposite Rajesh in Jungle Jackie , Nandan Prabhu, director of Love is Poison in which Rajesh was cast, and former Minister Shivanna and others were among those who paid their last respects.
