Sarath Babu: Everybody’s best friend

Express News Service

Sarath Babu, a star in his own right in both Tamil and Telugu film industries, has turned the hearts of the audience heavy with his demise. Though most of his iconic works were films that starred other actors as the male lead, he always proved that he was no lesser than them. The gentleman, both on and off-screen, was known for his iconic smile and pleasant screen presence.

The go-to actor for the hero’s best friend roles, always ensured that he had something new to bring to the table. The man who delivered the most-lovable roles in Nizhal Nijamagiradhu, Sagara Sangamam, Swati Mutyam, Annamalai, Velaikkaran, and Muthu, also played the most-dreaded villains in Anveshana and Uchakattam with the same finesse.

He was one of the few actors to have an uninterrupted five-decade-long career in cinema. Despite his age, he was never away from acting and expanded his range to the small screen and played integral roles in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada series. His journey that started with Rama Rajyam in 1973 is still continuing as he will be seen in upcoming releases like Malli Pelli and Por Thozhil.

When we reached out to members of the film community to recount their memories of Sarath Babu, all of them had two common things to talk about: The outstanding performer he was on screen and the most humble and calm human he was in real life. (With inputs from Anusha Sundar, Aswin Devan, Chandhini R, Jayabhuvaneshwari B, Navein Darshan)

KS Ravikumar (Muthu)
He was someone who was remembered for his pleasant and charming appearance.  He was large-hearted and had a childlike character. He had a charismatic screen prescence and was blessed with features that helped him fit into all type of roles. I have never seen him sad or angry. I met him at a function about one year back. Despite age-related ailments, he had his smile intact and we had a warm conversation. It’s sad that such a personality is not with us today. 

Rekha (Annamalai)
Sarath Babu never crossed the professional and personal lines and had set clear boundaries with everyone. He was a stellar performer in front of camera and a calm, pleasant and kind-hearted person in real life. Despite being a star, he respected everyone equal and was fond of his co-stars. He had set a great standard for actors during his prime, I learnt a lot while working with him.  It is shocking to realise that he is not with us anymore. 

Ramesh Aravind (Amrutavarshini, Duet) 
I remember him as a gentle giant. He was an ‘ajanabahu’ outwardly but his nature was as gentle as breeze. The first thing that comes to my mind is his genial smile and gentle gaze. He was known by his kind gestures and always priortised his health. Many days, he would stop his car a couple of kilometres before the shooting spot and walk the rest of the way. He will  continue to live in our memories through his unforgettable films.

Suresh Krissna (Annamalai, Vedan, Aalavandhan)
I was beyond shocked to hear about Sarath Babu’s demise. When I first met him for Annamalai, he was already a star. But he had no airs around him and I was impressed by his warmth and charming persona. It was his performance in K Balachander and Vishwanathan’s films that made me choose him for Annamalai. Rajini sir used to call us brothers, as we were both tall and had similar features. He entered my life to play Rajini sir’s onscreen best friend in Annamalai, but very soon became mine in reality. I am still finding it hard to process that I won’t be able to see my friend again. 

SP Muthuraman (Velaikkaran, Netrikann)
Indian cinema has lost a versatile actor and I have lost one of my closest friends. He was an all-rounder when it came to acting and a director’s delight. Sarath Babu was immensely talented that he would play a villain in one film and go on to act in a humour-laced supporting role in the next with equal finesse. Even though we were able to work in limited number of films together our camaraderie outside our films remained the same. I wish and pray that his soul rests in peace.

P Vasu (Love Birds, Nagavalli)
 I knew Sarath Babu since the time he worked with my father Peethambaran’s production company in the 1970s. It was during his early days in the film industry. Slowly he became a very close friend of mine. I will always remember his ever-smiling face and the lovely time I spent with him while shooting for the Telugu film Nagavalli and many others. In fact, I wanted to cast Sarath Babu for Prathap Pothen’s role in my debut film, Paneer Pushpangal. He loved the script. However, at that time, Sukumaran, who was first supposed to back this film, could not afford him. So we could not do it. He was a natural actor, and delivered even subtle expressions effortlessly. I am unable to believe that he is no more.

<br /> Sarath Babu, a star in his own right in both Tamil and Telugu film industries, has turned the hearts of the audience heavy with his demise. Though most of his iconic works were films that starred other actors as the male lead, he always proved that he was no lesser than them. The gentleman, both on and off-screen, was known for his iconic smile and pleasant screen presence.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad200503 " id="quads-ad200503" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="1823845571"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>The go-to actor for the hero’s best friend roles, always ensured that he had something new to bring to the table. The man who delivered the most-lovable roles in Nizhal Nijamagiradhu, Sagara Sangamam, Swati Mutyam, Annamalai, Velaikkaran, and Muthu, also played the most-dreaded villains in Anveshana and Uchakattam with the same finesse.</p> <p>He was one of the few actors to have an uninterrupted five-decade-long career in cinema. Despite his age, he was never away from acting and expanded his range to the small screen and played integral roles in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada series. His journey that started with Rama Rajyam in 1973 is still continuing as he will be seen in upcoming releases like Malli Pelli and Por Thozhil.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });</p> <p>When we reached out to members of the film community to recount their memories of Sarath Babu, all of them had two common things to talk about: The outstanding performer he was on screen and the most humble and calm human he was in real life. (With inputs from Anusha Sundar, Aswin Devan, Chandhini R, Jayabhuvaneshwari B, Navein Darshan)</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad200503 " id="quads-ad200503" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="1823845571"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>KS Ravikumar (Muthu)<br /> He was someone who was remembered for his pleasant and charming appearance.  He was large-hearted and had a childlike character. He had a charismatic screen prescence and was blessed with features that helped him fit into all type of roles. I have never seen him sad or angry. I met him at a function about one year back. Despite age-related ailments, he had his smile intact and we had a warm conversation. It’s sad that such a personality is not with us today. </p> <p>Rekha (Annamalai)<br /> Sarath Babu never crossed the professional and personal lines and had set clear boundaries with everyone. He was a stellar performer in front of camera and a calm, pleasant and kind-hearted person in real life. Despite being a star, he respected everyone equal and was fond of his co-stars. He had set a great standard for actors during his prime, I learnt a lot while working with him.  It is shocking to realise that he is not with us anymore. </p> <p>Ramesh Aravind (Amrutavarshini, Duet) <br /> I remember him as a gentle giant. He was an ‘ajanabahu’ outwardly but his nature was as gentle as breeze. The first thing that comes to my mind is his genial smile and gentle gaze. He was known by his kind gestures and always priortised his health. Many days, he would stop his car a couple of kilometres before the shooting spot and walk the rest of the way. He will  continue to live in our memories through his unforgettable films.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad200503 " id="quads-ad200503" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="1823845571"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Suresh Krissna (Annamalai, Vedan, Aalavandhan)<br /> I was beyond shocked to hear about Sarath Babu’s demise. When I first met him for Annamalai, he was already a star. But he had no airs around him and I was impressed by his warmth and charming persona. It was his performance in K Balachander and Vishwanathan’s films that made me choose him for Annamalai. Rajini sir used to call us brothers, as we were both tall and had similar features. He entered my life to play Rajini sir’s onscreen best friend in Annamalai, but very soon became mine in reality. I am still finding it hard to process that I won’t be able to see my friend again. </p> <p>SP Muthuraman (Velaikkaran, Netrikann)<br /> Indian cinema has lost a versatile actor and I have lost one of my closest friends. He was an all-rounder when it came to acting and a director’s delight. Sarath Babu was immensely talented that he would play a villain in one film and go on to act in a humour-laced supporting role in the next with equal finesse. Even though we were able to work in limited number of films together our camaraderie outside our films remained the same. I wish and pray that his soul rests in peace.</p> <p>P Vasu (Love Birds, Nagavalli)<br />  I knew Sarath Babu since the time he worked with my father Peethambaran’s production company in the 1970s. It was during his early days in the film industry. Slowly he became a very close friend of mine. I will always remember his ever-smiling face and the lovely time I spent with him while shooting for the Telugu film Nagavalli and many others. In fact, I wanted to cast Sarath Babu for Prathap Pothen’s role in my debut film, Paneer Pushpangal. He loved the script. However, at that time, Sukumaran, who was first supposed to back this film, could not afford him. So we could not do it. He was a natural actor, and delivered even subtle expressions effortlessly. I am unable to believe that he is no more.<br />