A throwback photo of Daniel Balaji. (courtesy: KeerthyOfficial)
Tamil actor Daniel Balaji died of a heart attack at a private hospital in Chennai last night. He was 48. Film veteran Kamal Haasan paid tribute to his Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu co-star. This was not the only time Daniel Balaji collaborated with Kamal Haasan for a project. Daniel Balaji stepped into the entertainment industry as a unit production manager in Kamal Haasan's unfinished film Marudhunayagam. Kamal Haasan, in a post on X (earlier known as Twitter), wrote in Tamil, which roughly translates to this, "The sudden death of brother Daniel Balaji is shocking. The agony of young people dying is severe. My condolences to Balaji's family, friends and fans. He will live even after his death by donating his eyes. My tribute to Balaji who has given light."
This is what Kamal Haasan posted:
Actress Keerthy Suresh, paying tribute to the late actor, wrote in her X post, "Shocking to hear that Daniel Balaji is no more! A great actor gone too soon! My heart goes out to his family and friends #RIPDanielBalaji."
Actor Nani remembered Daniel Balaji with these words, "Gone too soon. Rest in peace brother."
Daniel Balaji's acting credits include Kakka Kakka, Vettaiyadu Vilayadu, Vada Chennai and Polladhavan, to name a few. He forayed into television with Radikaa Sarathkumar's popular show Chithhi and he made his film debut with the 2002 film April Maadhathil. He starred in films across languages including Malayalam and Kannada.
Daniel Balaji made his acting debut in the Malayalam cinema with the film Black and later starred in films such as Bhagavan and Daddy Cool. Daniel Balaji was last seen in Ariyavan, which released last year.