State to foot hospital bill if ailing actress admitted

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday announced that the State government would foot the bill of the ailing veteran actress Leelavathi, were she to be admitted to a hospital.

The actress, now aged 86, is suffering from age-related ailments. Over a span of half a century, she has acted in around 600 films in Kannada, Telugu and Tamil.

Her son Vinod Raj is also an actor. Siddaramaiah visited Leelavathi’s residence in Soladevanahalli in Bengaluru on Sunday and made the comments to mediapersons thereafter.

The CM said that besides being a talented actress, she was also an activist who had protested over farmers’ issues earlier in her life.

He added that it would be prudent if the State government gave back and paid her hospital bills, if any.