Robo Shankar’s elder brother recalls his rise to fame and what happened in the last moments

CHENNAI: Actor and comedian Robo Shankar’s elder brother, Sivaraman, has opened up about the circumstances surrounding the 46-year-old’s untimely death. In an interview with Thanthi TV, he revealed that on September 15 (Monday), Shankar attended a film pooja at Prasath Studios followed by a shoot.

He reportedly experienced fatigue and dizziness, visited a private hospital where he was given IV fruids, and returned to work.

However, his condition worsened as he collapsed again and began vomiting blood. Doctors who later performed an endoscopy confirmed that multiple organs of his body had been severely affected.

Sivaraman also recalled Shankar’s early life and rise to fame. Shankar lost his father at the age of six and, during his college years, dreamed of becoming a stage performer.

A devoted fan of actor Kamal Haasan, he was admired for imitating Kamal’s dance moves.

Fitness was central to his life, and he competed in several bodybuilding contests, finishing as runner-up in titles such as Mr. Madras, Mr. University, Mr. Tamil Nadu, and even Mr. India.

Shankar had a rare talent of flexing his chest muscles in rhythm with music.

To stand out, he created a unique act covering his body in aluminium powder, performing robotic dance moves, and syncing his chest movements to songs.

This brought him the stage name 'Robo Shankar,' and he went on to perform at over 1,000 events before breaking into cinema.