Tollywood writer MVS Haranatha Rao passes away

Prominent Tollywood writer and actor

MVS Haranatha Rao

(69) passed away at his residence in Ongole on Monday following a heart attack. He is survived by his wife and three daughters.
In an illustrious Tollywood career spanning many decades, Haranatha Rao excelled in his roles as a playwright, scriptwriter and actor. Rao wrote dialogues for more than 150 films, including

Prathighatana

,

Bharata Nari

, Anna, Swayam Krushi,

Dharma Chakram

,

Sutradharulu

and Ammayi Kapuram, for which he received the Nandi award. He also acted

Swayam Krushi

and Prathighatana. He was also closely associated with the late filmmaker Tottempudi Krishna, having written the dialogues for nearly all the films of the latter.
A native of Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh, Haranatha Rao was a celebrated theatre artiste and writer and his plays such as Raktabali, Jagannatha Ratha Chakralu, Kshirasagara Mathanam, Antham Kadidi Aarambham, Redlight Area, Mee Peremiti, Yakshaaganam etc., won him critical acclaim.
Calling his death a big loss to Telugu cinema, Tollywood writer Abburi Ravi says, “Though I never had the privilege of meeting him personally, I’ve known him through his work, especially in cinema. In every script that he has written, there is a practicality. Cinema is basically a fantasy, a make-believe. So, assuming there are 1000 people in a theatre, his dialogues would connect with the majority of them. That was the kind of reality he injected into the film. When we think of a film from the 80s, what comes to mind is bell-bottom pants and the fashion of the time. But Haranatha Rao garu’s dialogues give you a comprehensive lowdown of the political, social and economic environment of the period. His works are a testimony to the period he lived in. Writers of his kind are a rarity and his passing away is a huge loss to the art world.”