The sudden death of Kannada actor-producer Dileep Raj at 47 after a reported massive heart attack has once again drawn attention to a troubling trend: seemingly active men in their 40s and 50s collapsing without warning from cardiac events. Raj, known for films like Milana and U-Turn, was reportedly rushed to hospital after suffering the attack early Wednesday but could not be revived. His death has shocked the Kannada film industry and reignited concerns over the suddenness of massive heart attacks. But according to Dr Ranjan Shetty, lead cardiologist and medical director at Sparsh Hospital, Bengaluru , what often looks like an unexpected collapse is usually the endpoint of years of silent plaque build-up inside coronary arteries. “The event is sudden but the blockage is not, it has been building up. There could have been undiagnosed underlying conditions, a family history which most patients may not be aware of or even the cholesterol history in their genetic tree,” he says.…