New Delhi: Actor Raghu Balaiah, popularly known as Junior Balaiah, passed away on Thursday due to asphyxiation. Raghu Balaiah is the third son of veteran actor T.S. Balaiah. The actor breathed his last at his residence in Valasaravakkam, Chennai. He was 70.
Actor Raghu Balaiah has made a name for himself in movies like ‘Sundarakandam’, ‘Karagattakaran’, ‘Saattai’ and others. Apart from films, he was also seen in television shows, including 'Chithi', 'Vazhkai' and 'Chinna Papa Periya Papa'. In 2019, he was seen in an important role in Ajith Kumar's 'Nerkonda Paarvai', which is the official Tamil remake of 'Pink'. His last film was 'Yennanga Sir Unga Sattam', which was released in 2021.
He started his career in movies with ‘Melnattu Marumaal’ starring Sivakumar and continued to play supporting roles in various films. He acted opposite Sivajiganesan in ‘Tyagam’ and as one of Kamal Haasan's friends in ‘Havbe Mayam’.
Kamal Haasan took to his X to pay tribute to his friend Balaiah. His tweet in Tamil is loosely translated as: "Junior Balaiah, son of legendary actor T.S. Balaiah, became my teenage friend. Just like his father, who started his career in theatre and flourished, he passed away today. My tribute to him. My heartfelt condolences to his family members.”
பழம்பெரும் நடிகர் டி.எஸ்.பாலையா அவர்களின் மகனான ஜூனியர் பாலையா ரகு, எனக்கு பதின்பருவ நண்பராக அமைந்தார். தந்தையைப் போலவே நாடக மேடைகளில் தன் கலையைத் தொடங்கி திரையில் வலம் வந்தவர் இன்று மறைந்து விட்டார். அவருக்கு என் அஞ்சலி. அவரது குடும்பத்தாருக்கு என் ஆறுதலைத்…
— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) November 2, 2023
