HYDERABAD: Veteran actor Chalapathi Rao passed away at his Hyderabad residence after suffering a cardiac arrest in the wee hours of Sunday. The actor was said to be battling age-related complications over the last two years. He was 78.
Born on May 8, 1944, Chalapathi Rao made his acting debut with Goodachari 116 in 1966 and went on to have a flourishing career. He acted in more than 1,200 films in a career spanning over 50 years, leaving a lasting mark as a villain and in supporting roles.
Some of his most prominent films include Annadammula, Anubandham (1975), Manushulanta Okkate (1976), Yamagola (1977), Daana Veera Soora Karna (1977), Yuga Purushudu (1978), Driver Ramudu (1979), Vetagadu (1979), Gandeevam (1994), Bobbili Simham (1994), Arundhati (2009), Kick (2009), Ek Niranjan (2009), Legend (2014), Sathamanam Bhavati (2017), and Vinaya Vidheya Rama (2019). This year, he was seen in Bangarraju, and his final film appearance was in a film titled Oh Manishi Neevevaru. Chalapathi Rao also produced films such as Ardharathri Hatyalu (1985), Kaliyuga Krishnudu (1986), and Kadapa Reddamma (1990), to name a few. He is survived by two daughters and a son. His son Ravi Babu is a well-known actor and director.
T-wood will miss ‘Babai’
Chalapathi Rao was synonymous with cruel, ferocious villains, and he did such an excellent job on-screen that he once joked that women would stay wary of him in real life. After all, he committed over 90 on-screen rapes as a villain. So the fear is understandable. That doesn’t mean he restricted himself to negative roles. This generation of moviegoers has seen him in many supporting roles alongside contemporary actors such as NTR Jr, Mahesh Babu, and Allu Arjun.
Some of his most popular performances in the 2000s came from three films directed by VV Vinayak. As a caring guardian to Jr NTR, he was dearly called ‘Babai.’In the past decade, he mostly appeared in supporting roles, often playing a family member of the protagonist. There are stories about his tiffs with co-stars; some of them went to physical altercations too. Yet, his place in Telugu cinema remained unscathed because he was considered a family member off-screen.
KCR expresses grief
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao expressed condolences on the demise of the noted film actor. He said that Chalapathi Rao, who acted in hundreds of movies in diversified roles, made his own mark on the silver screen. The CM said that the passing away of Chalapathi Rao, who worked with three generations of actors as an actor and producer, is a big loss to the film industry. He conveyed his deepest condolences to the bereaved family members.