Abbas to Uday Kiran: Southern stars who plunged from great heights to oblivion

Cinema attracts countless people, but not everyone makes it to the peak – or remains there for long. Films can spring a surprise in an actor’s career by giving great success early on. But fame comes with an expiry date. The recent overwhelming success of several pan- Indian, South Indian films reminds us of the times when we saw new stars fade into oblivion as quickly as they came. Here are some of them.

Tamil films

Abbas Ali stole millions of hearts

Kadhal Desam, directed by Kathir and starring Abbas Ali, Vineeth and Tabu, became a rage when it hit the screens in 1996. It was titled Duniya Dilwalo Ki in Hindi and was a massive hit in the Hindi belt too. Thanks to music by AR Rahman, the songs struck the right chord with the young and the old. It was Abbas Ali’s debut film and his chocolate boy looks made him a heartthrob among females. The 90s generation still remember Abbas as the handsome lad from North who descended on Tamil cinema to rule countless hearts. In a recent interview with the Federal, Abbas revealed that he signed 18 films after Kadhal Desam. However, he lost 16 of them when two of his films flopped. He acted in nearly a dozen films but had lost his golden touch. Abbas is now in Auckland, New Zealand, working as an analyst at a call centre, away from the spotlight.

Kunal committed suicide – after his biggest hit

Kunal Singh, aka Kunal, made his debut in Kadhalar Dinam alongside Sonali Bendre in 1999. This film was also directed by Kathir of Kadhal Desam fame and turned into a huge hit. AR Rahman composed the music for this film too. Kunal became an overnight star. His cute looks and stylish hairstyle made him a poster boy of Tamil cinema. But his luck didn’t last long. Kunal appeared in a couple of average movies post his initial success and returned to Mumbai to start a production house. Unfortunately, he died by suicide in 2008 at his flat in Mumbai.

Telugu films

Uday Kiran’s hat trick – and suicide

Uday Kiran became a household name in no time with a hat trick of hits like Chitram, Nuvvu Nenu and Manasantha Nuvve. All three were blockbusters; the songs ring a bell even now. Uday became so popular that megastar Chiranjeevi decided to get him engaged with his daughter Sushmitha. However, Uday was bogged down by personal tragedies, his films flopped back-to-back, producers dropped him and his engagement with Chiranjeevi’s daughter was called off. The actor acted in a few films but lost hope and ended his life in 2014.

Tarun Kumar 

Tarun Kumar was just 11 when he won his first National Film Award for best child artist for his performance in Mani Ratnam’s Anjali. He took a few years’ break and returned as a hero in Nuve Kavalli in 2000. The film was a runaway hit and everyone thought Tarun was born to rule the Telugu film industry. He followed it up with a few more films. But as fate would have it, he never repeated his initial success. The actor was embroiled in a drug case in 2021. As per reports, Tarun now runs a pub in Telangana and is into catering business. He appeared in a few not-so-successful movies recently.

Kannada films: Raghuveer, a tragic tale

Kannada actor Raghuveer was the hero in Chaitrada Premanjali, directed by debutant S Narayan. The film created a buzz before its release for its music but nobody believed Raghuveer could be a hero. The film was released in 1992 and became a roaring success. Raghuveer catapulted into a star. He gave another hit in Shrungara Kavya and married heroine Sindhu much against the wishes of his parents. They became parents to a daughter but the couple was not destined to live together. They divorced. Both actors died due to poor health. Raghuveer’s story is inspiring but it ended on a tragic note.

Ganesh, Duniya Vijay yet to recreate glorious days

Ganesh and Duniya Vijay saw immense success in the Kannada film industry when they turned heroes. Ganesh’s film Mungaru Male and Vijay’s Duniya turned out to be blockbusters in 2006 and 2007 respectively. Mungaru Male was the first Indian film to run for more than one year at a multiplex. It raked in over Rs 50 crores at the box office. Duniya was Vijay’s debut film as a hero but his character was raw; the film was a gangster drama. However, he excelled in acting and his stunts became a rage among the audience. These two films changed the course of the Kannada industry and became an inspiration to many young actors. But the two could never recreate the glory. They remain in the industry and do deliver hits but nothing close to what made them superstars.

These actors prove that success is never guaranteed in the movie world. Personal setbacks, bad choices of scripts and other factors can change destiny. Success can never be assured. No wonder ‘Rocking Star’ Yash and ‘Divine Star’ Rishab Shetty are being extremely cautious on their next film after their mega success in 2022.