Tamil film actor Robo Shankar passes away; Kamal Haasan, Venkat Prabhu condole actor’s demise
Tamil actor and comedian Robo Shankar passed away at 46 while undergoing treatment in Chennai. Tributes poured in from across the industry, with Kamal Haasan and Venkat Prabhu leading condolences.
Chennai: In news that has plunged the Tamil film industry into grief, well-known Tamil film actor and comedian Robo Shankar, who was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the city, passed away on Thursday.
He was 46 years old.
Robo Shankar is survived by his wife Priyanka and his daughter Indraja, who acted alongside actor Vijay in his blockbuster film Bigil.
Robo Shankar, best known for his stellar performances in Dhanush-starrer Maari, Vishal’s Irumbu Thirai and Vishnu Vishal’s Vellainu Vandhutta Vellaikaran, suddenly fainted on set during a shoot on Wednesday. Unit members rushed the actor to a private hospital, where he was treated in the Intensive Care Unit. However, he could not be saved and is believed to have passed away around 8.30 p.m. on Thursday.
Sources said the actor’s body will be taken from the hospital to his residence, where it will be kept for people to pay their last respects on Friday.
Several actors and directors from the Tamil film industry have expressed shock and grief over the comedian’s demise.
Actor Kamal Haasan, among the first to react, paid tribute through a Tamil poem. Loosely translated, the poem reads like a conversation Kamal Haasan seems to have with Robo Shankar. Pointing out that “Robo” is just a pseudonym, Kamal Haasan said that in his dictionary, he considered Robo Shankar his younger brother. “Just because you have gone doesn’t mean you have left me,” he wrote, adding that while Robo Shankar had left because his job was done, he remained as his own work was unfinished. He concluded: “As you have left tomorrow for me, tomorrow is ours.”
Director Venkat Prabhu also expressed condolences. Taking to his X timeline, he wrote, “#RIProboshankar gone too soon my friend. Deepest condolences to family and friends.”
