Senior theatre personality and Karnataka Rajyaotsava awardee (2014) Abdulsab Annigeri (76), who was often referred to as the ‘NTR of stage’ because of his resemblance to Telugu movie star N.T. Ramarao, breathed his last in Hubballi on Monday after prolonged illness.
Born into a farmer’s family in Mulagund, Gadag, he was attracted to theatre from his childhood as his grandfather Hussainsab had built a ‘theatre’ where several companies staged dramas. Having begun his stage career at the age of 14, Abdulsab grew up to become a singer and actor.
He had donned main roles in more than 10 Kannada films and a few Hindi films.
After having suffered an attack of paralysis in 2012, Abdulsab was restricted to his house at Ganeshpet in Hubballi, where he died on Monday.
Abdulsab had acted in several plays with noted theatre companies such as Gubbi Viranna Drama Company, Doddawad Siddayya Drama Company, Murudadeva Gawai Drama Company, Appuraj Nataka Sangha, V.S. Patil Drama Company, and Desai Drama Company of Sullia.
Theatre enthusiasts and experts remember Abdulsab for his roles such as that of Lord Rama in ‘Lava Kusha’, Krishna in ‘Kurukshetra’, Satya Harishchandra, Yedeyuru Siddarama and several others. He is survived by wife Pushpamala — who is also a singer and actor — and a son and a daughter.
