Kathi Mahesh
Mahesh in 2021
Born
Kathi Mahesh Kumar

1977 or 1978
Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, India
Died (aged 43)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Alma materHyderabad Central University
Occupations
  • Critic
  • actor
  • writer
  • director
StyleParallel cinema
Children1

Kathi Mahesh Kumar (1977/8 – 10 July 2021)[1][2][3] was an Indian film critic[3][4] 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.[5][6] He was born into a dalit family and belongs to Madiga community.[7][8] He studied at AP Residential School at Gyarampalle near Piler.[9] He studied MA Communication at Hyderabad Central University during 1998–2000.[1][10]

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.[11] He backed YSR Congress Party during the 2021 bye-elections for the Tirupati Lok Sabha constituency.[12]

Career

Mahesh started his career with Edari Varsham, based on Devarakonda Balagangadhara Tilak's story Vuri Chivara Illu.[1] He was a co-writer of the film Minugurulu, 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).[13][14]

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.[15] He played minor roles in the Telugu movies Hrudaya Kaleyam (2014), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2017), and Kobbari Matta (2019).[16]

In 2017, he appeared in season 1 of the Telugu reality show Bigg Boss, hosted by Jr. NTR and telecast on Star Maa.[17]

His last film, Egise Tarajuvvualu, touched on the need for developing scientific temperament among children.[18]

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.[7] He accuses Tollywood of being casteist and feels that Telugu films lack new ideas and fail to address social issues.[19]

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, allegedly by Pawan Kalyan's fans.[19]

Other works

Mahesh worked with UNICEF, World Bank, Save the Children and the Clinton Foundation.[15]

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,[20] in a regional news channel. He was dropped at his native place in Chittoor district by the police.[5] He defended his comments citing his right to freedom of speech.[21]

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.[22]

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.[16] The government of Andhra Pradesh offered a financial support of ₹17 lakhs from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for his treatment.[11] He was shifted to Apollo Hospitals in Chennai for better treatment.[23] He died on 10 July at the age of 43.[3][24] He was survived by his wife and a son.[9] His last rites were performed on 12 July at his native village of Yellamanda.[9]

Filmography

Films

Year Film Role Notes Ref.
2011 Edari Varsham [1]
2014 MinuguruluCo-writer
Hrudaya KaleyamPoliceman
2015 PesaratuDirector [15]
2017 Egise TaarajuvvaluCo-writer [18]
Nene Raju Nene MantriTea vendor
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang [16]
2019 Kobbari MattaFarmer
2019 Amma Rajyam Lo Kadapa Biddalu Special Officer
2021 Krack Kathi
2021 A1 Express News reporter

Television

Year Show Role Channel Result
2017 Bigg Boss (Telugu season 1) Contestant Star Maa 12th place - evicted on day 27

Dubbing artist

  • Lakshmi (2018; Telugu version) for Sam Paul

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Chowdhary, Y. Sunita (28 January 2012). "Vying for alternate existence". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  2. ↑ Sudhir, Uma; Majumder, Soumyajit (10 July 2018). "Film Critic Banned From Hyderabad For Comments On Lord Ram, Sita". NDTV. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "Film critic Kathi Mahesh passes away". Telangana Today. 10 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  4. ↑ "RIP Kathi Mahesh: Actor-filmmaker-critic succumbs to injuries". The Times of India. 10 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Telangana police ban film critic Mahesh Kathi from entering Hyd for 6 months". 9 July 2018.
  6. ↑ "Mahesh Kathi's death: Dalit leader Manda Krishna alleges conspiracy, seeks probe". The News Minute. 16 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  7. 1 2 "Film critic Mahesh Kathi, who met with an accident, passes away". The News Minute. 10 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  8. ↑ Rao, Chandrasekhar (23 March 2021). "Kathi Mahesh: తిరుపతిలో బీజేపీకి ఓడిపోవడానికి పవన్ కల్యాణ్ ఒక్కడు చాలు" [Kathi Mahesh: Pawan Kalyan is enough for BJP to lose in Tirupati]. OneIndia Telugu (in Telugu). Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  9. 1 2 3 K., Umashanker (13 July 2021). "Kathi Mahesh laid to rest at native Yalamanda". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  10. ↑ "University of Hyderabad mourns the death of alumnus and film critic Kathi Mahesh". The News Minute. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  11. 1 2 "Andhra govt offers Rs 17 lakh for film critic Kathi Mahesh's treatment after accident". The News Minute. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  12. ↑ "Actor, film critic Kathi Mahesh dead". The Hindu. 10 July 2021. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  13. ↑ "Minugurulu Grabs Best Indian Film CIICFF - Telugu Movie News". Indiaglitz.com. 25 January 2014. Archived from the original on 27 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  14. ↑ "Minugurulu in Oscar contenders list - Telugu Movie News". Indiaglitz.com. 26 December 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  15. 1 2 3 Rajamani, Radhika (6 February 2015). "Telugu cinema never expanded into meaningful cinema". Rediff. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  16. 1 2 3 "Film critic Kathi Mahesh severely injured in car accident in Nellore". The News Minute. 26 June 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  17. ↑ Ch., Sowmya Sruthi (6 August 2017). "Bigg Boss Telugu, 5th August 2017, Episode 21 Update: Tarak announces Rs 50 lakh prize money; Siva Balaji, Mahesh Kathi and Dhanraj in safe zone". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  18. 1 2 Pasupulate, Karthik (10 October 2017). "Kathi Mahesh: Egise Tarajuvvalu is the only Telugu film in the race to vie for top honours at ICFFI". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  19. 1 2 "For harsh review of 'Katamarayudu', a Telugu critic is getting threats from Pawan Kalyan fans". The News Minute. 25 March 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  20. ↑ "Unconventional, controversial but Mahesh Kathi carved his space in a casteist world". The News Minute. 12 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  21. ↑ Kumar, Naveen (1 July 2018). "I am free to say what I want, do not regret: Kathi Mahesh". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  22. ↑ "Hyderabad police book film critic Mahesh Kathi for controversial comments on Hindu god". The News Minute. 10 February 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  23. ↑ "Kathi Mahesh no more". Deccan Chronicle. 10 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  24. ↑ "Telugu Actor, Dalit Intellectual Kathi Mahesh Dies At 43; Sudheer Babu, Nani & Other Celebs Mourn His Death". adp LIVE. 10 July 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
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