Legendary producer K Raghava no more

Veteran producer Kotipalli Raghava passed away at his Jubilee Hills residence on Tuesday morning due to a heart attack. He was 105 years old. In a remarkable career, Raghava produced 27 films, of which, 25 went on to be blockbusters. He is hailed as the man who introduced many legends to Telugu cinema. Dasari Narayana Rao, Rao Gopal Rao, SP Balasubrahmanyam, Kodi Ramakrishna, Gollapudi Maruthi Rao, Suman and Bhanu Chander, all began their careers through his films.

A native of East Godavari district, Raghava began his journey as a trolley puller on the sets of a studio in Kolkata. How he went on to become one of the most celebrated filmmakers in Tollywood makes for an inspiring story. He was just eight when he ran away from home after his father chided him for not doing well in school. “I got onto a train that was standing on the platform and I did not even know where it was headed to. That’s how I landed in Calcutta. After struggling for a few years, I found work as a trolley puller and worked for many silent movies before moving to Vijayawada,” said Raghava in an earlier interview.

He worked as the stuntman for NTR in Pathala Bhairavi and a production executive before becoming a producer. His death marks the end of an era in Telugu cinema.