Actor, playwright, screenwriter, author & journalist, Raavi Kondala Rao leaves behind a glorious legacy

Telugu cinema lost another doyen with the passing away of

Raavi Kondala Rao

due to a cardiac arrest in Hyderabad on Tuesday. He was 88. Rao was suffering from several heart-related ailments and his health reportedly deteriorated over the last few weeks.
Born on February 11, 1932 in Samarlakota, Andhra Pradesh, Raavi Kondala Rao had acted in over 600 films in a career spanning six decades. He started his journey as an actor with the film Shobha starring the late NTR in 1958. Having started out as Assistant Editor, Rao soon showcased his talent as an actor and went on to feature in several hit films, including Tene Manasulu, Dasara Bullodu, Rangoon Rowdy, Edurinti Mogudu Pakkinti Pellam, Varakatnam, Andara Ramudu, Radha Kalyanam, etc. He also dubbed for various Tamil and Malayalam films.
A journalist and an author, Rao was a sub-editor in the popular Telugu magazine Vijaya Chitra for 36 years. Over the years, he worked as an editor and columnist for major Telugu dailies covering various topics.
His wife Radha Kumari was also a well-known actress and the duo had worked together in several movies. Radha Kumari passed away in 2012 when Rao was on his way to the UAE to collect an award. He later said that he was shaken by the loss and his spirit was never the same again. Rao was also an illustrious writer and is known for his work in films like Bhairava Dweepam, Brundavanam and

Pelli Pustakam

, for which he received a Nandi award. Rao also received a Nandi award for his book Black & White in 2004.
“Apart from acting and writing, Rao left behind a great legacy in the fields of theatre and mimicry. He had a wonderful sense of humour, which reflected in his writing as well as his personality. I had the good fortune of working with him right from the beginning of my career. A mutlifaceted genius, Raavi Kondala Rao leaves behind a void in Telugu cinema,” says Chiranjeevi, summing up Kondala Rao’s contribution as an actor and man of words.

An actor
Made his debut in the film Sobha starring NTR in 1958
His talent as an actor was first noticed by the Telugu audience in the Krishna-starrer Tene Manasula in 1965
He went on to star in over 600 films, including Dasara Bullodu, Rangoon Rowdy, Edurinti Mogudu, etc
His last film was 365 Days, which released in February 2020

As a screenwriter
Wrote the story for Bapu-Ramana’s Pelli Pusthakam, for which he won the Nandi award
Some of the other significant films for which he wrote dialogues for include Bhairava Dweepam, Sri Krishna Yuddham and Brundavanam
As a journalist, he was associate editor at Telugu magazine

Vijaya Chitram

from 1966 to 1990

As an author and playwright
Kondala Rao received the Nandi Award for his book titled Black & White in 2004
Some of his other popular books include Didruksha and Mumoorsha
He had also penned his autobiography titled

Naagavali Nunchi Manjeera Varaku

in 2015
As a playwright, he wrote popular skits like Kukkapilla Dorikindi and Nalugilla Savidi