Award-winning musician, singer and composer Chakri, nee Chakradhar Gilla died here on Monday morning. Doctors at a corporate hospital where he was taken to, pronounced him dead at 7.45 a.m. He is survived by wife Sravani.
According to family sources, when he did not wake up, Ms. Sravani rushed him to the corporate hospital, but it was in vain. He was suffering from obesity and other ailments. Chakri was born in Mahabubabad of Warangal district on June 15, 1974. His father Venkata Narayana was also a singer and actor.
His mortal remains were shifted to Film Chambers in Jubilee Hills and later to his residence. In the evening, his funeral procession began with a large number of mourners accompanying his body to the Punjagutta crematorium. One of the very few really talented film personalities, Chakri’s mortal remains were consigned to flames here on Monday afternoon, in the presence of his family members, relatives and a host of Telugu tinsel town personalities.
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The man behind the musical notes of films like ‘Idiot’, ‘Amma Nanna O Tamil Ammayi’, ‘Chakram’, ‘Devadasu’, ‘Simha’, ‘Desamuduru’ and ‘Jai Bolo Telangana’ will be sorely missed. He got a Nandi for his work in the Nandamuri Balakrishna-starrer ‘Simha.’
Chakri debuted with director Puri Jagannadh’s ‘Bachi’ in the year 2000 and went on to compose music for about 85 films thus far. He is considered very much a part of the Ravi Teja-Puri-Chakri trio that is popular in the Telugu film industry. His latest film was Dasari Narayana Rao’s ‘Erra Bus’ and his music will be heard in the yet-to-be-released ‘Rey.’
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao expressed his condolences and said it was sad that a talented musician was snatched away by fate at such a young age. A delegation of TS Ministers led by Deputy Chief Minister T. Rajaiah paid floral tributes to the departed music director.
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The Telugu film industry expressed its shock and grief over the demise of Chakri at the young age of 40 years. Among the first to send out condolences was actor and Rajya Sabha member K. Chiranjeevi, who said the void left behind in the music world would be difficult to fill up.
Music director Sashi Preetam, who was one among the first to give Chakri an opportunity, recalled him as very hard-working during the time he was composing music for ‘Handsome,’ a little known film. Flautist and composer Nagaraj, who has done several shows with Chakri, described him as talented, very hard-working and very good-hearted. “We will miss him,” he said.