Kannada filmmaker Pradeep Raj died on Thursday morning due to COVID-19, Pinkvilla reported. 

He reportedly took his last breath at a private hospital in Pondicherry around 3 am. His funeral will take place today in Pondicherry on Thursday. 

Pradeep had directed movies such as KGF star Naveen Kumar Gowda’s (better known by his stage name Yash’s) Kirataka. 

Kirataka is the remake of Tamil film Kalavani and is the 3000th Kannada film. The film also stands as one of Yash’s earliest and best performances to date.

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Pradeep’s popular work also includes the movie Kicchu from 2019, which was the last film of Kannada actor Dhruva Sharma who had died from suicide the previous week. Kichchu is an adaptation of director Pradeep Raj’s novel Hotti Uriva Kichchinalli, in which a speech and hearing-impaired environmentalist is devoted to preventing deforestation in Malenadu region of Karnataka.

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On the demise of Dhruva, Pradeep had said, “I was devastated. Kichchu is about Dhruva and he is not around to see how the film has turned out. The film was ready to be released months ago, but I could not bring myself to do it. But then someone said that I should release the film and honour the hardwork Dhruva had put into it.”

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In conversation with Hindustan Times, actor Yash had spoken about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating impact. “We never thought there would be a day when we have to sit at home and do nothing. Human are like this, we need things to happen the way we want to happen. We are tuned (programmed) to live our life a certain way and if that is not happening then it is a problem. But nature, on the other hand, is different.”

Yash continued, “Not just cinema industry but a lot of people are going through a bad phase… there is no consistency in their incomes, plus there is psychological pressure. However, let’s hope [for a better tomorrow] and be positive. It should settle down. Eventually any pain has to end. Nothing is permanent. It has gone to an extent, but it has to come down.”

Pradeep’s last project Girgitle released in the year 2019.