Indian actor Chiranjeevi Sarja dies after heart attack

Sarja, who starred in 20 films including the popular “Amma I Love You,” died of a heart attack, according to B.S. Yediyurappa, chief minister of Karnataka. “It is a shock to hear the news that famous Kannada artist, Shri Chiranjeevi Sarja, died of a heart attack. Premature death at an age of just 39 years is shocking. My prayers are with the family, may God give them the strength to endure this grief,” Yediyurappa tweeted on Sunday. Sarja, who also starred in “Whistle,” and “Varadanayaka,” came from a family of actors. He is the nephew of Tamil actor Arjun Sarja and grandson of veteran actor Shakti Prasad, according to the Hindustan Times. He married actress Meghana Raj in 2018. Following the news of his death, many of Sarja’s fans began posting their condolences on his last Instagram post, which featured his brother, Dhruva Sarja, who is also a famous Kannada actor. “A tragic loss to Indian cinema,” one fan commented. “We all miss you.” A number of film stars also expressed their sadness on social media over Sarja’s sudden death. “Shocked to hear about #chiranjevvisarja’s demise!!!” actress Priyamani tweeted. “Can never forget his smiling face.” “Absolutely devastated to hear about the sudden demise of Chiranjeevi Sarja. I pray Meghna and the whole family finds strength to tide through this shock and sorrow,” actor Prithviraj Sukumaran tweeted. CNN’s Rishabh Madhavendra Pratap contributed to this report.