Uday Kiran to Silk Smitha, Vijay Sai: 10 South Indian celebs who passed away by suicide

On Sunday, Bollywood's most handsome and talented actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found hanging at his Bandra house in Mumbai. The entire Bollywood and South Indian film industry is still in shock. Known for his roles in films like M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story and Chhichhore among others, Sushant was reportedly battling depression. However, this is not the first case in the film industry when an actor has ended life due to depression and career failure. There have been many such cases by Indian actors over the years. Down South, from Uday Kiran to Silk Smitha, Vijay Sai among others passed away by taking an unfortunate step. 

1. Silk Smitha (1996):

Silk Smitha one of the most talked celebs then ended her life in 1996 due to depression. The controversial actress of South Indian film industry took her life at her apartment in Chennai. She featured in more than 400 films. 

2. Vijay Sai (2017):

Vijay Sai passed away by suicide at his residence in Hyderabad in 2017. He was 42. (Trigger warning) He reportedly hung himself from the ceiling fan of his room early in the morning. According to media reports, Vijay went into depression because of financial pressure and a disturbed marriage, which made him to take this drastic step. In the video clip recorded by him, Vijay Sai named his wife and two others as a reason for his suicide and has also said that they had been demanding him Rs 3 crores from him. 

3. Sai Prashanth (2016):

The entire Tamil industry was in shock when actor Sai Prashanth was found dead at his residence on March 13, 2016. (Trigger warning) He ended his life by drinking poison. Loneliness and depression was said to be the reason for the suicide. 

4. Ranganath (2015): 

Tollywood star Ranganath hanged himself at his Hyderabad residence on December 19, 2015. He was 66. One of the most talented actors in the industry, Ranganath featured in more than 300 films. He left a note with the word DESTINY written on it. “Ranganath sometimes remarked to his daughter that was it necessary for him to continue life having lost his wife,” the Inspector had said. 

5. Uday Kiran (2014):

Uday Kiran's death still leaves the Telugu industry in shock. He ended his life on January 5, 2014 by hanging himself from a tree. Apparently, depression and financial crisis were the reason why he took this extreme step of ending up his life. 

6. Sreenath (2010):

Malayalam film actor Sreenath was found dead under mysterious circumstances at a hotel in Kerala on April 23, 2010. After the investigation, the police confirmed the case as a suicide due to personal issues. 

7. Santhosh Jogi (2010):

Malayalam star Santhosh Jogi died by suicide on April 13, 2010. The actor was found hanging at his friend’s flat in Thrissur, Kerala and the reason is said to be family problems. 

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8. Monal Naval (2002):

Tamil actor Monal Naval ended his life at the age of 21. Actor Simran in a statement about her sister's suicide accused choreographer Prasanna Sujit as a possible person behind it. 

9. Fatafat Jayalaxmi (1980):

Yesteryear actress Jayalakshmi Reddy known by her screen name Fatafat Jayalaxmi, passed away by suicide. She took this drastic step due to an alleged failed romance. She was just 22. 

10. Pratyusha (2002): 

Tollywood's popular actress Pratyusha died on February 23, 2002. She was just 20. Reportedly, she reportedly ended her life along with her boyfriend Siddhartha Reddy after their parents didn't accept their relationship. While her partner got a second life after he recovered, Pratyusha passed away while going through treatment. 

If you need support or know someone who is struggling, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist or speak to someone about it. There are several helplines available for the same.