Renowned Telugu actor Ghattamaneni Krishna passed away on Tuesday morning at the age of 80.

He was admitted to a private hospital at Gachibowli after he suffered cardiac arrest on Monday. He is the father of popular South Indian actor Mahesh Babu.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and several film industry veterans mourned the actor. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao visited the late actor’s residence and offered condolences to his family members. He said the last rites would be held with official honours.

Fondly called ‘Super Star’ by his fans, he acted in over 340 movies in a career spanning over 55 years. His wife Indira Devi passed away in September 2022.

Born on May 31, 1942 in Burripalem village in the Guntur district in the erstwhile Madras Presidency and present-day Andhra Pradesh, Ghattamaneni Sivarama Krishna Murthy, who later became popular with screen name Krishna, made his debut in the Telugu film industry with Thene Manasulu in 1964. The film, directed by Adurthi Subba Rao, became a runaway success.

Different avatars

Inspired by Hollywood movies, he introduced the‘Cowboy’ styled roles roles in Telugu cinema. His third film Gudachari 116 (Spy No. 116) became a super hit, heralding the spy genre in Telugu films.

After founding Padmayala Studios, he made several big budget movies and introduced several new technologies in the Telugu film industry.

He produced and acted in Alluri Sita Rama Raju which was based on the life of the legendary freedom fighter who rallied around Adivasis in the Eastern Ghats and waged pitched battles against the British in the early 1920s. The film created records of sorts that Telugu cinema had never witnessed before.

He had a brief stint in politics too. He contested and won from Eluru Lok Sabha constituency in 1989 elections but lost in the subsequent election held in 1991.

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