(This article is authored by Alar) 

Superstar Rajinikanth visited the residence of veteran actor Sarath Babu on Tuesday to pay his last respects to the departed soul. Sarath Babu, who had acted in over 200 films in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi, passed away at the age of 71 due to multiple organ failure at a private hospital in Hyderabad.

Rajinikanth, who had shared screen space with Sarath Babu in several films such as Billa, Murattu Kaalai, Thalapathi and Padayappa, paid a visit to his residence on Tuesday, expressed his grief over the loss of his ‘dear friend’ and a ‘great human being’. Speaking to the media, he said, "I knew him even before I became an actor. He was a great human being,"

The actor was seen as he arrived at Sarath Babu’s house. He was mobbed by the media who gathered outside the house to catch a glimpse of him. He was escorted by his security personnel as he made his way inside. He spent some time with Sarath Babu’s family and offered his sympathies.

He said, "I've only seen him smiling and never seen him getting angry. Everyone knows that the films that we did were blockcbuster hits. He always loved me. He felt upset whenever he sees me with a cigarette. If he sees me light a ciagrette, he'd put it out."

As per Sarath Babu’s publicist, his mortal remains were shifted to Chennai on Tuesday morning for friends and family to pay their last respects. His funeral will take place around 2 PM on Tuesday. Sarath Babu’s demise has shocked the film industry and many celebrities have expressed their sorrow over his passing.

Kamal Haasan, who had worked with him in films like Sattam and Sippikul Muthu, also took to Twitter to condole his death. He wrote in Tamil, "A great actor and a good friend Sarath Babu is no more. The days of acting with him are a shadow in my mind. He was introduced by my guru in Tamil. He excelled in many timeless roles. Cinema has lost a good actor."

Sarath Babu made his debut in 1977 with the Telugu film Panthulamma. He rose to fame with K Balachander’s Nizhal Nijamagiradhu in 1978, which also marked his Tamil debut. He went on to act in many memorable roles as a hero, villain and supporting actor. He won three Nandi Awards for his performances in Telugu cinema.