Hyderabad, Jan 6 (IANS): Telugu filmmaker Dharma Teja, who launched Uday Kiran with "Chitram" in 2000, said the late actor was a very passionate actor.

Uday committed suicide by hanging himself here Sunday, and the news of his death left Teja "speechless".

"Uday and I started our careers together with 'Chitram'. It was a very special film for both of us and we enjoyed its success together. He was a passionate actor and I sensed it a few days after we started working on our film," Teja told IANS.

A year after "Chitram", the duo worked again in "Nuvvu Nenu".

"When I received a call last night about his death, I was speechless for a few minutes. I didn't know how to react because I had lost someone very close in my life," he added.

Teja made his directorial debut with "Chitram", which also launched Reema Sen in Telugu filmdom.

Quizzed if he knew what could have lead Uday to take this tragic step, he said: "I still can't understand what made him to commit suicide. We didn't talk recently but when we did the last time, he didn't talk about anything that may have been bothering him".