Acclaimed Kannada filmmaker K. V. Raju died after a prolonged illness at his home in Bengaluru on Friday, December 24. He was 67. Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce D R Jairaj told PTI, "K V Raju breathed his last at his Rajaji Nagar residence this morning." He added that the veteran director had been suffering from age-related ailments and passed away due to a heart attack. The news of K. V. Raju's demise has come as a big shock to many in Kannada cinema as industry peers namely directors Suni, Raghu V Shastry, lyricist-director Arasu Anthare, including actors and personalities from various walks of life expressing their condolences on social media platforms. Sharing a photo of the late director, actor Sai Kumar wrote, "I am shocked and saddened to hear the untimely demise of KV Raju avaru. My condolences to the family and fans. #OmShanti #KVRaju." Actor and Bigg Boss Kannada host Kichcha Sudeep too tweeted his tribute by sharing a photo of late filmmaker. 

K. V. Raju began his career in the Kannada film industry as an assistant director to his brother KV Jayaram in the 1982 film Baddada Hoovo. He subsequently made his directorial debut in 1984 with the film Olave Baduku and went on to carve a niche for himself over the years with box office blockbusters like Belli Modagalu, Huliya, Sangrama, Bandha Mukta, Yuddhakanda, and Belli Kalungura to name a notable few. In 1991, he entered Bollywood and worked with Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Prasad in the Hindi film, Indrajeet. He later directed Udhar Ki Zindagi (1994), which had Jeetendra as the lead, with Kajol also playing a pivotal role.