Kathi Mahesh Kumar (1977/8 – 10 July 2021)
was an Indian
film critic and actor working in
Telugu cinema. He appeared on the Telugu reality TV show ''
Bigg Boss''.
Personal life
Kathi Mahesh Kumar hailed from Yellamanda, a village in Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh.
He was born into a
dalit family and belongs to
Madiga community.
He studied at
AP Residential School at Gyarampalle near Piler.
He studied MA Communication at
Hyderabad Central University
The University of Hyderabad ( IAST: ''Hydarāvād visvavidyālayamu'') is a top ranking public central research university located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Founded in 1974, this mostly residential campus has more than 5,000 students ...
during 1998–2000.
Mahesh was a vocal supporter of
Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and
YSR Congress Party in the past and spoke in favour of Jagan Mohan Reddy in several television debates.
He backed YSR Congress Party during the
2021 bye-elections for the
Tirupati Lok Sabha constituency
Tirupati Lok Sabha constituency is one of the twenty-five Lok Sabha constituencies of Andhra Pradesh in India. It comprises seven assembly segments and belongs to Tirupati district.
Assembly segments
The seven Assembly
Assembly may refer t ...
.
Career
Mahesh started his career with ''Edari Varsham,'' based on
Devarakonda Balagangadhara Tilak's story ''Vuri Chivara Illu.
'' He was a co-writer of the film ''
Minugurulu
''Minugurulu'' () is a 2012 Indian Telugu-language social problem film co-written and directed by Ayodhyakumar Krishnamsetty. The film stars Ashish Vidyarthi, Suhasini Maniratnam, Raghubir Yadav and Deepak Saroj.
The film was selected as Best I ...
,'' the "first Telugu script to be preserved in the Oscar Library's permanent core collection" and the first Telugu film to contend for the Academy Awards' best feature film (2014).
In his next film, the 2015 romantic comedy ''Pesarattu,'' he used flowcam technology popularized by
Ram Gopal Varma. It was the first crowd funded short film in
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
.
He played minor roles in the Telugu movies ''
Hrudaya Kaleyam'' (2014), ''Kiss Kiss Bang Bang'' (2017), and ''
Kobbari Matta
''Kobbari Matta'' () is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language parody film directed by Sai Rajesh and written by Steven Shankar. It stars Sampoornesh Babu portraying roles of three generations- Paparayudu, Pedarayudu, and Androyudu.
The film was release ...
'' (2019).
In 2017, he appeared in season 1 of the Telugu reality show ''
Bigg Boss'', hosted by
Jr. NTR
Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Jr. (born 20 May 1983), also known as Jr. N.T.R. or Tarak, is an Indian actor who primarily works in Telugu cinema. One of the highest paid Telugu film actors, Rama Rao Jr. has won several accolades, including two Fi ...
and telecast on
Star Maa
Star Maa (formerly Maa TV) is an Indian Telugu language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. The channel telecasts Telugu language programmes such as serials, reality ...
.
His last film, ''Egise Tarajuvvualu,'' touched on the need for developing scientific temperament among children.
Criticism on Telugu films
Mahesh rose to prominence for his sharp and controversial reviews on Telugu films. He had been a panelist on television news channels, often defending rationalist views.
He accuses Tollywood of being casteist and feels that Telugu films lack new ideas and fail to address social issues.
In March 2017, he critically reviewed
Pawan Kalyan's movie, ''
Katamarayudu'', and called the movie "a badly written film" with "a predictable screenplay". He also said that the movie was sexist and has a lot of derogatory comments against women. Soon after, he was trolled online and cyberbullied with abuses and threats on his
Facebook wall
Facebook is a Social network, social-network service website launched on February 4, 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg. The following is a list of software and technology features that can be found on the Facebook website and mobile app and are availabl ...
, allegedly by Pawan Kalyan's fans.
Other works
Mahesh worked with UNICEF, World Bank, Save the Children and the Clinton Foundation.
Legal issues
Mahesh was banned from entering Hyderabad on 9 July 2018 for a period of six months by the Telangana police, under the Telangana Prevention of Anti-Social and Hazardous Activities Act, 1980, for allegedly calling
Rama a "cheat" and claiming that
Sita would have been better off with
Ravana, during a debate, about a sedition case filed against
Babu Gogineni
Babu Gogineni (born Rajaji Ramanadh in 1968) is an Indian Humanist, rationalist, and human rights activist, who served as Executive Director of the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU).
Gogineni is the founder of, South Asian Hu ...
, in a regional news channel. He was dropped at his native place in Chittoor district by the police.
He defended his comments citing his right to freedom of speech.
A case was filed against him in February 2020 for referring to Rama as having mistresses and Sita wishing to eat the golden deer Rama was chasing, during an anti-CAA event held in Osmania University, Hyderabad.
Death
On 25 June 2021, Mahesh met with an accident when his car collided with a truck near
Nellore, when he was travelling from
Chittoor towards
Hyderabad. He was admitted to Medicover Hospitals in Nellore with severe head and eye injuries. The hospital stated that his health was in critical condition and then he was shifted to the ICU.
The
government of Andhra Pradesh offered a financial support of from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for his treatment.
He was shifted to
Apollo Hospitals in
Chennai for better treatment. He died on 10 July at the age of 43.
He was survived by his wife and a son.
His last rites were performed on 12 July at his native village of Yellamanda.
Filmography
Films
Television
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahesh, Kathi
1970s births
Year of birth uncertain
2021 deaths
21st-century Indian male actors
Male actors in Telugu cinema
Screenwriters from Andhra Pradesh
Telugu screenwriters
Male actors from Andhra Pradesh
Telugu male actors
Indian male film actors
Bigg Boss (Telugu TV series) contestants
University of Hyderabad alumni
People from Chittoor district