Actor Harish Rai Passes Away; Fans Mourn The Death of KGF Chacha

Veteran Kannada actor Harish Rai, who was battling cancer, passed away on Thursday. He was battling cancer and breathed his last at Kidwai Hospital in Bengaluru. He is survived by his wife and two sons. 

Kannada actor Harish Rai, fondly remembered as Don Rai in the cult classic Om and as Chacha in KGF, was currently battling thyroid cancer. The illness had spread to his stomach, by his own admission. While his body had become weak and thin, his stomach was visibly swollen due to water accumulation. This had left his fans deeply saddened, and many were praying for his recovery.

A social media influencer Gopi Gowdru had visited the ailing actor and shared a video online, in which Harish Rai openly appealed for financial assistance. Expressing his desire to return to acting if his health had improved, the actor had revealed the immense cost of his treatment.

Unfortunately, his treatment failed and passed away.

Fans Mourn Harish Rai's Death

The fans of Kannada cinema are saddened over the demise of Harish Rai. One user wrote, "Deeply saddened to hear about the passing of actor #HarishRai, who had been bravely battling cancer. The film industry had come together to support him, but fate had other plans. Known for his memorable roles in #Om, #KGF., and many Kannada films, may his soul rest in peace. 💐#RIP."

The second user commented, "RIP SIR 💐 KGF CHACHA HARISH RAI SIR HAS DEAD TODAY 🥹Thank you for entertaining us sir💐🥹🙏."

Expressing condolence over his death, another user said, "Sandalwood will miss him."

Remember his roles, "He was very popular those days in Sai Kumar movies. In all his hit movies he used to get roles," another added.

"KGF gave him a national fame. RIP sir...you have left to better place," one netizen commented.

Costly Cancer Treatment

Talking to media earlier, Rai had claimed that one injection alone costed ₹3.55 lakh. Doctors had prescribed three injections per cycle over a period of 63 days, amounting to ₹10.5 lakh for each cycle. In many cases, patients required between 17 and 20 injections, which means his overall treatment was predicted to cost around ₹70 lakh.

When asked about reports of KGF star Yash extending help, Harish Rai clarified that he had not yet approached him. "Yash has helped me before. I cannot keep asking him every time. How much can one person do? I haven't informed him about my health, but I know if he comes to know, he will definitely stand by me. He is just one call away, though he is busy with his upcoming film Toxic. I've told my family and sons to reach out to him if anything happens to me, because I know he won't turn away," he stated.

Over his career, Harish Rai has acted in Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu films, including Om, Samara, Bangalore Underworld, Jodihakki, Raj Bahadur, Sanju Weds Geetha, Swayamvara, Nalla, and both chapters of KGF.

However, Rai, in another interview, had highlighted the issues that he was facing in getting financial help from public and well-wishes as the bank used to block his account. He had appealed to people to send him money by scanning QR code.