Veteran Telugu film producer Katragadda Murari passes away

Popular Tollywood producer Katragadda Murari passed away on Saturday (October 15). He was 78. He had been suffering from illness for some time now and breathed his last at his residence 'Neelangarai' in Chennai. According to a report in Sakshi, K Murari had a meal at around 8.55 pm on Saturday night and took syrup after he felt discomfort in the stomach due to gas pain. He then suffered a cardiac arrest and breathed his last. This news came as a shock to the entire television industry. He is survived by his wife and son. His mortal remains will be cremated on Sunday in Chennai.Katragadda Murari was born on 14 June 1944 in Vijayawada. Due to his passion for movies, he discontinued his MBBS programme in the middle and moved to Chennai to purse his career in the film industry as a director. He wanted to become a film director but the destiny had something else in store. He started his career as an assistant director under the supervision of director Madhusudan. Later, he founded a production house called 'Yuvachitra Arts' and started making super hit films under his banner. 'Gorintaku,' 'Nari Nari Naduma Murari,' 'Trishulam,' 'Abhimanyudu' and 'Janakiramudu' brought him good recognition as a producer. Murari's 'Janaki Rramudu' directed by K Raghavendra Rao' became a milestone in the careers of Akkineni Nagarjuna and Vijayashanthi. 'Sitamahalakshmi,' 'Srinivasa Kalyanam' and 'Jegantulu' are some of his super hit films. It was worth mentioning that the renowned music director KV Mahadevan has composed music for all the films produced by Katragadda Murari. In terms of music, Murari's films have also gained good recognition among music lovers. Katragadda Murari released his autobiography titled 'Navvipodurugaka' on November 17, 2012. Moreover, he played a key role in writing the book called 'History of Telugu Film Producers (1931-2005)', detailing the film producers of the period between 1931-2005, to tell future generations the history of Telugu film producers. In 2013, he criticized the Indian Cinema Centenary Programme, which was held in Chennai for not inviting Telugu film celebrities to the event. Telugu film celebrities are expressing their grief and pain at the veteran producer’s demise.