Hyderabad: Veteran actor Sarath Babu passed away yesterday due to multiple organ failure at a private hospital in Hyderabad. He was 71.

Last month, Sarath Babu was admitted to a hospital in Hyderabad in a critical condition. He was also admitted and treated at a hospital in Chennai in March this year.

Sarath Babu is well-known for his films like Amruthavarshini (Kannada), K. Viswanath’s ‘Sagara Sangamam’, ‘Apathbandhavudu’ and Nagarjuna-starrer ‘Criminal’.

He has also starred in a number of Tamil movies. Babu has also starred alongside superstar Rajinikanth in ‘Mullum Malarum’, ‘Velaikkaran’, ‘Annamalai’ and ‘Muthu’.

Sarath Babu acted in over 200 films in a career spanning over five decades. He also worked in a few Hindi films.

The veteran actor entered the film industry in 1973 through a Telugu film and later became popular through the Tamil film ‘Nizhal Nijamagiradhu’ also starring Kamal Haasan and directed by K. Balachander.

He was last seen in Tamil earlier this year in ‘Vasantha Mullai’ starring Bobby Simhaa.

Sarath Babu was born in Amadalavalasa in Andhra Pradesh as Satyanarayana Dixit.

After entering the film industry, he changed his name to Sarath Babu.