Actor Gollapudi Maruthi Rao passes away

Veteran actor and writer Gollapudi Maruthi Rao, better known for roles in ‘Swathi Mutyam’, ‘Intlo Ramayya Veedhilo Krishnayya’ and ‘Leader’, breathed his last while undergoing treatment for an illness in a hospital in Chennai. He was 80. Gollapudi had acted in more than 250 Telugu movies. 

He began his movie career as a writer. He penned the scripts for many great films such as ‘Doctor Chakravarthy’, ‘O Seetha Katha’, ‘Kallu’ and ‘Tarangini’. He turned busy as an actor with his role in Kodi Ramakrishna directed ‘Intlo Ramayya Veedhilo Krishnayya’ becoming popular. He went on to act in more than 250 movies. His recent films were ‘Manamantha’, ‘Size Zero’ and ‘Jodi’.

Gollapudi was also a popular columnist. In 1997, he established the Gollapudi Srinivas Memorial Award in the memory of his son, which has become an important award in Indian cinema.