What we know so far as ‘debt-ridden’ artist passes away at Madanayakanahalli apartment- The Week

Noted Kannada actor-director Guruprasad was found dead in an apartment in Bengaluru’s Madanayakanahalli on Sunday. The artist, who would have turned 52 on November 2, had died by suicide at least four days ago, police suspect from the state of his body when found, reports said.

Guruprasad, whose full name is Guruprasada Ramachandra Sharma, is best known for his debut flick ‘Mata’ which remains a cult hit in the Kannada film industry. His other directorials include Eddelu Manjunatha (2009), which won the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Screenplay, Director’s Special (2013) Eradane Sala (2017) and Ranganayaka (2024).

Some media reports said that the popular director was struggling financially, forcing him to take the extreme step. Guruprasad was married twice but was living alone, reports said. As things stand here is what we know so far about the demise of the Sandalwood actor-director.

According to Kannada media reports, Guruprasad kept changing houses to evade people whom he owed money. Initially, he was living in a rented house in Bengaluru’s Basaveshwaranagara before moving to another rented facility in Jayanagar. When his loaners started knocking at the doors, Guruprasad started staying in hotels, One India Kannada said in a report. He had lived in an apartment in Dasanapura before moving to Madanayakanahalli where he breathed his last, the report added.

Many cases were registered against him by people who had lent him money. According to another report, Guruprasad was arrested by the Girinagar Police in January and released on bail in one such case. He was facing the threat of arrest in the check bounce case as well.

The cold reception his latest movie Ranganayaka received in theatres was a huge blow to him financially. He owed money to his friends and colleagues as well and the inability to repay any of them was reportedly haunting him.

(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation – 04424640050, Tele Manas – 14416 (available 24×7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences’ helpline – 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)