HYDERABAD: Renowned actor, director and producer Mannava Balayya died on Saturday morning due to age-related ailments in the city. He was 93 and is survived by his son and actor Tulasi Ram Prasad. He was honoured with the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award in 2010.
Born in Chavupadu village in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, Balayya was a Mechanical Engineering graduate. Inspired by stage plays and dramas, Balayya took to acting under the guidance of late director-writer Tapi Chanakya, who introduced him as the lead actor in the 1958 social drama Ettuku Pai Ettu. Produced by Sarathi Studios, the film failed to live up to expectations. He continued to play the lead in films like Bhagyadevata and Kunkuma Rekha, which brought him recognition.
Balayya’s Chivaraku Migiledi was described by actor Savitri as one of the most unforgettable films of her career. He acted as Krishna for the first time in the mythological film Krishnaprema and as Rukmangadhuni in Mohini Rukmangadha directed by KS Prakash Rao. Though Balayya continued to play the hero in several other films, he found great success in the supporting roles he acted alongside other actors.
He acted with NTR in films like Irugu Porugu, Babhruvahana, Bobbili Yuddham, Pandavavanavasamu, Vivahabandham and Sri Krishna Pandaviyam. In Pandavavanavasamu, late NT Rama Rao (NTR) played the role of Bheema, while Balayya played the role of Arjuna. Following that, Balayya played Yudhishthira in NTR’s directorial Sri Krishna Pandaviyam.
While NTR became popular for playing the roles of Sri Krishna and Lord Rama, Balayya found acceptance among audiences for playing Lord Shiva in several films. In Krishnam Raju’s Bhakta Kannappa, Balayya first played the role of Lord Shiva. Audiences lapped him up in the divine role and in the course of his career, Balayya played Lord Shiva at least 10 more times.
The actor eventually discovered his penchant for writing and wrote the story for Chelleli Kapuram. He won the Nandi Award for second best story writer and producer for Oorukichchina Maata.
Balayya also produced the film under his banner Amrutha films and it was directed by K Viswanath. The duo of Balayya and Viswanath once again joined hands for the hit film Neramu Siksha. It was later remade in Tamil as Needhikku Thalaivanangu and in Hindi as Shikshaa.
Balayya made his directorial debut with Nijam Chebite Nerama, starring Krishnam Raju and Jaya Prada. He went on to direct films like Pasupu Taadu and Police Alludu.
The multi-faceted Balayya has acted in over 300 films and his last screen appearance as an actor was for Ramachari (2013), where he played the role of a Chief Minister.
Condolences and tributes are pouring in from the film fraternity for the actor-filmmaker. Actor Nandamuri Balakrishna termed the passing away of Balayya as an irreparable loss to the Telugu cinema. The Telugu Film Directors Association, in a statement, offered their heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members.