Countless scripts, yet no takers; Tollywood writer dies by suicide in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: A struggling Tollywood film writer, who failed to get a break despite penning countless scripts, was found dead at his residence in Shaikpet of Hyderabad on Saturday morning. He was identified as Nepalli Kirthi Sagar (50), a native of Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh. He is believed to have died by suicide as he was stated to be going through a prolonged bout of depression over Tollywood’s apathy towards him.

The police, who rushed to the penthouse where he was living in, were shocked to see countless film scripts, purportedly written by him, strewn all over the room. One of his friends, Radhakrishna Goud, who came to his penthouse on Saturday morning, found him lying on the terrace and immediately called the 108 emergency ambulance service for medical help. The 108 staff, on their arrival, confirmed that Kirthi Sagar was already dead.

Based on a complaint from Radhakrishna Goud, the police began their investigation to ascertain the reason for what is being suspected to be a case of suicide. While searching his penthouse, the police stumbled on countless film scripts that, according to his friend Radhakrishna Goud, were written by him over the last several years. According to reports, Kirhi Sagar migrated to Hyderabad many years back with the dreams of making it big in the tinsel town. He desperately tried for opportunities in Tollywood, both as a script writer and as an assistant director.

To his misfortune, he ended up as an eternal struggler with no one to care for his film scripts. And with age catching up, both his chances and hopes narrowed down further, driving him into a state of depression. In yet another heart-rending development, no one came forward from his native district to claim his dead body, prompting the police to preserve it in the mortuary of the Osmania General Hospital.