P.J. Sarma, father of actor Sai Kumar and himself a Telugu actor and dubbing artist, breathed his last at his residence here on Sunday.
He was 70 years old and is survived by three sons and two daughters. He was unwell for a while and a heart attack brought the end. Born in Vizianagaram, he started his career as a character artist and acted in over 150 Kannada and Telugu films. His best films include ‘Athanu’, ‘Ram Robert Rahim’ and ‘Collector Janaki’, to name a few. Somewhere down the line, his voice attracted attention and as a dubbing artist, he lent his voice to actors in over 500 films.
His sons Mr. Sai Kumar, Ravi Shankar and Ayyappa too, are well known as dubbing artists in the Telugu film industry. Mr. Sai Kumar however is also popular as an actor, especially known for his portrayal of roles as a police officer and villain too. Interestingly, all of Sharma’s children, including his two daughters Kamala and Priya too, were present here in Hyderabad, for the wedding of actor Aadi, son of Mr. Sai Kumar that took place only on Saturday.
When contacted, Mr. Sai Kumar said, “It is as if a major part of myself has been detached. My father was present in me, in every breath I took before delivering my dialogues as an actor and as a dubbing artiste. While his physical absence will be very hard to digest, I pray God to give me the strength for all of us to continue,” he said.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed his grief over the demise of Sarma and conveyed his heartfelt condolences to Mr. Sai Kumar. AP’s Minister for Information and Public Relations, Palle Raghunatha Reddy also expressed his regrets.
Actor and Rajya Sabha Member K. Chiranjeevi in a message to the members of the bereaved family, recalled his decades’ old association with Sharma, who was known to be a good character artiste and dubbing artiste, was also a good human being.
