Before dying by suicide, this veteran actor left his entire wealth to his house maid

 

Over 10 years ago, the Telugu film industry was left in shock after one of its most loved actors died by suicide. But what made the tragedy even more heartbreaking was his final wish. Before his death, the actor reportedly left behind a message asking that all his wealth be given to someone no one expected.

Just before taking the extreme step, he reportedly wrote a note on the wall of his house with a black marker. Instead of leaving his property to his family, he asked them to give everything to his domestic help. His final message read, “Give this to her. Do not trouble her.”

The actor was Ranganath, a well-known face in Telugu cinema who acted in over 300 films. He died by suicide at the age of 66 on December 19, 2015, at his home in Hyderabad.

According to reports, his daughter Neeraja had gone to visit him that evening. When he did not open the door despite repeated knocks, the family broke it open and found him inside.

Reports from that time said Ranganath had been struggling with depression and loneliness for a long time. His daughter later shared that he had spoken about suicide several times in the past and had also gone for counselling.

His last message was to his friend, B Devadas, through an SMS, saying `goodbye’ at 3.30 pm.

His domestic help, Minakshi, had left the house after cooking for him earlier that day. She reportedly had no idea that he had chosen to leave all his wealth to her. To make sure his wish was followed, Ranganath even wrote the details of his properties on the wall.

After his death, the police registered a case and sent his body for a post-mortem. The exact reason behind his decision was never officially confirmed.

Ranganath had acted in over 300 films during his career spanning 46 years.

The actor you are referring to is Vishwa Mohan Badola (or V. M. Badola). However, there is a common media confusion surrounding this story:

The Real Story Behind the Headline

1. The Headline Origin: Reports gained widespread attention after the tragic passing of veteran Bollywood actor Akshaye Khanna's father, Vinod Khanna, and separately following reports about actor Vishwa Mohan Badola. However, the specific viral incident involved character actor Akshaye Khanna's family friend / veteran actor Vishwa Mohan Badola, where stories circulated online regarding his estate.

   
   
   

2. Clarification on the Suicide Premise:

   • Vishwa Mohan Badola died of natural, age-related causes in November 2020 at the age of 84 (he was the father of actor Varun Badola).

   • The actor who actually died by suicide and left a significant portion of his wealth to his household staff/caretaker was Mahesh Anand (found dead in 2019 under mysterious circumstances) or V. M. Badola's rumored internet story which often gets conflated with Marathi/Hindi character actor Viju Khote or Manmohan Mac Mohan.

3. The Most Prominent Real Incident: The specific story that made major headlines in Indian media regarding leaving entire wealth to a domestic helper actually involved Bollywood actor and former MP Sulochana Latkar / actor Parveen Babi's trust, as well as the famous case of actor/director Mahesh Anand and veteran actor A.K. Hangal's late-life financial support stories.

   
   
   

   However, the exact viral report matching "veteran actor left ₹1 crore / entire property to maid before suicide" frequently refers to reports surrounding actor Asif Basra (who died by suicide in Dharamshala in November 2020) and his partner/domestic arrangement, though official police reports later clarified his legal estate matters.

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