19 July,2025 11:07 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Fish Venkat dies
Veteran actor-comedian Fish Venkat passed away on Friday following a battle with kidney disease. The comedian breathed his last at a hospital in Hyderabad after battling kidney-related ailments at the age of 53. Notably, the actor, whose real name is Venkat Raj, was admitted to the hospital recently when the condition of his kidney worsened, which led to kidney failure. He was hospitalised and was undergoing treatment in the ICU. A few days earlier, it was also reported that he was in need of a kidney transplant.
Earlier in July, during an interview with One India, Venkat's daughter, Sravanthi, had revealed that Prabhas' team had stepped forward and offered them financial support in times of need. "Daddy isn't well at all. He is very serious and in the ICU. He needs a kidney transplant. It will cost us at least â¹50 lakh. Prabhas' assistant called us and offered financial assistance. They asked us to inform them when his transplant happens to cover the cost," she had said.
However, a few days later, Venkat's family reportedly told Suman TV that the call was actually fake. When questioned if Prabhas reached out for help, a family member clarified, "Actually, nothing like that happened. We have been answering every call we get to see if anyone can help us. Some unknown person called us pretending to be Prabhas Anna's assistant. We found out after that it was a fake call. He doesn't even know something like this is happening. We have not received any financial help yet."
Fish Venkat was well-known for playing comedic and villainous roles in Telugu cinema. His strong Telangana dialect had earned him the moniker âfish' over the years. Over the years, he acted in numerous hit films such as Bunny, Adhurs, Dhee, and Mirapakay.
He was most recently seen in the Aha thriller film Coffee with a Killer, which happens to be his last appearance before his unfortunate death. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he featured with Siddhu Jonnalagadda in Maa Vintha Gaadha Vinuma and DJ Tillu, also also received praise for his performances.
