HYDERABAD: Veteran public relations officer (PRO) and Telugu film producer, BA Raju, passed away due to cardiac arrest on Friday. He was 61 and is survived by two sons. Popularly known as Super Hit Raju, he started his career as a journalist and later worked as a personal publicist to veteran actor Krishna.
He had worked in over 1,500 films and was serving as a personal publicist to several popular actors including Nandamuri Balakrishna, Akkineni Nagarjuna, and Mahesh Babu.
Raju turned producer with Premalo Pavani Kalyan in 2002. Directed by Polur Ghatikachalam, the film featured Deepak and Ankita as the lead actors. He produced several films including Chantigadu, Premikulu, Lovely, and Vaisakham. His wife and journalist turned- director, B Jaya, passed away due to cardiac arrest on August 30, 2018.
While his elder son, Boyidapu Arun Kumar is working as a VFX artist, his younger son B Shiva Kumar is awaiting the release of his directorial debut, 22 Movie. Raju’s current projects included Mahesh Babu-starer Sarkaru Vaari Paata, Balakrishna’s upcoming film Akhanda, Pelli SandaD, Seetimaarr and Shakuntalam as the publicist. Tollywood celebrities expressed grief over his death. His last rites were performed at Maha Prasthanam on Saturday.