So long, Ambareesh

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Nov 27, 2018 :  Kanteerava Studio, the home to many movies starring actor-and-politician M.H. Ambareesh, became the final resting ground symbolising the end of a colourful journey. Thousands of his ardent fans and who’s who of cinema and politics bid a tearful adieu to him.

His son Abhishek Gowda performed the last rites, as his mother, an inconsolable Sumalatha Ambareesh, stood beside him. As Sumalatha bid an emotional goodbye planting a last kiss on Ambareesh’s cheek, Abhishek who stood stoically for the past two days, hugged him and broke down before he lit the pyre, turning the gathering teary-eyed. Two members of the extended family even fainted overcome by weakness and grief and doctors had to attend to them. Telugu actor Mohan Babu, a close friend of Ambareesh, was inconsolable. Kannada actor Darshan, who was at a film shoot in Sweden, managed to make it to the funeral.

Earlier, the State police gave Ambareesh a 21-gun salute and guard of honour and Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy handed over the tricolour, which had been draped on Ambareesh’s body, to Sumalatha.

The funeral saw over 15,000 people crowding Kanteerava Studio and its surrounding areas, wanting to pay their last respects. Fans had come from across the State, especially Mandya and Mysuru. An entire stretch of Outer Ring Road was packed with his fans, seen standing on the flyover, buildings and even on branches of trees to watch the funeral being beamed onto several LED screens.

The area around the studio was so crowded that the funeral procession that started from Kanteerava Stadium, in a vehicle decked with flowers, took over an hour-and-a-half to traverse the last stretch of 200 metres from Goraguntepalya. The procession traversed a route of 13 km through Central and North Bengaluru, in over five hours, to reach the studio and people thronged the streets through the route to pay their respects.

Sonia’s message

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and General Secretary, AICC, K.C. Venugopal met Mr. Kumaraswamy as emissaries of AICC president Sonia Gandhi and handed over personal condolence message to him. The Chief Minister later handed over the message to Abhishek.