Thalapathy Vijay visits Thala Ajith post demise of the latter's father

Ajith and Thalapathy Vijay

Tamil film superstar Ajith lost his father, PS Mani, earlier today. In a statement, posted on Twitter by his manager Suresh Chandra, the actor and his two brothers, Anup and Anil, said their father passed away in his sleep on Friday morning. He was 85.

Soon after the announcement, condolence poured in on social media for the actor and his family from fans and colleagues form the film industry. Thalapathy Vijay personally arrived at Ajith's Chennai residence to offer his condolence. The actor recently returned from Kashmir after wrapping up a long schedule of his upcoming film Leo with Lokesh Kanagaraj.

Ajith and Vijay are considered to be professional rivals and their fans often get into a war of words on Twitter. However, leaving their professional rivalry aside, Vijay arrived by Ajith's side in this time of grief.

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Meanwhile, in the statement shared by the family, they requested fans to let them grieve privately. "We are grateful for the care and support provided to him and our family by a number of medical professionals, especially following his debilitating stroke of four years ago. We are comforted, at this time of grief, that he lived a good life and knew the undying love of our mother, his partner of nearly six decades. We appreciate the kind, comforting messages and condolences that have been coming in and ask for your understanding if we may not be able to take calls or respond to messages in a timely manner," the statement read.

"We trust that all who have known loss will respect our wish to grieve privately and deal with his passing with as much equanimity and dignity as possible," the statement concluded.

The actor's fans as well as colleagues from the film industry condoled the death of his father on social media. "My heartfelt condolences to Ajith, his mother and family. The loss of one's dad .. especially someone as caring and sweet as Subramaniam uncle can never be compensated. May his soul rest in peace. Stay strong Ajith," Chiyaan Vikram tweeted.

Veteran actor Kamal Haasan said he was saddened by the death of Ajith's father.

"My condolences to Ajith Kumar and his family on the loss of their father," he tweeted in Tamil.