Mandya: Channe Gowda, 75, who shot to fame as ‘Gaddappa’ (man with a beard) in the award-winning Kannada movie Thithi, is severely unwell and battling with paralysis.

His relatives and neighbours at Node Koppalu near Pandavapura said that the septuagenarian was treated in a hospital in Mysuru for a few days and was brought to Node Koppalu on Friday. He is bedridden and does not have enough money to continue treatment.

The veteran actor has also been suffering from heart ailment, cough and wheezing, hearing impairment, and other age-related issues. His wife and brothers passed away many years back and he does not have children.

After he played the role of ‘Gaddappa’, he became popular for his natural acting skills and the film industry had cashed in on this opportunity to make money.

After Thithi, Gowda was made to act in some more films. They made good business. But, the film production units did not pay him on a par with other artistes, a villager said.

True to his allegations, Gowda is still living in a tiny hut at the village on Mandya-Pandavapura Main Road. “I do not have any idea how much money and other facilities other artistes are getting. But, they pay me some money and offer food. Sometimes, they pick me in a car and sometimes ask me to come by bus,” he had told a section of press in 2016. Gowda’s relatives and villagers have urged the film industry to help him.