GUNTUR: A pall of gloom descended on Burripalem village in Tenali mandal of Guntur district, the native village of superstar Krishna, following the demise of the legendary film personality. Villagers paid tributes to him and recalled the association of Krishna’s family with the village. Since the news of Krishna’s ill health was known, the villagers conducted special prayers at temples all night for his well being. But the news of his death devastated them. The villagers had a close connection with superstar Krishna as he was generous and selfless.
One of his school friend K Parthasarathi recalled his memories with the ‘Burripalem Bullodu’ and told The New Indian Express that, he used to be very active in academics and in extracurricular activities. “He wished to become an actor since childhood. Though he left for Chennai soon after finishing his studies, he used to regularly check on us.
After becoming a star, he used to visit the village when possible. He offered jobs to many in his Padmalaya studios and many of our children are well-settled now. We are so proud of him and can’t imagine this world without him,” said Parthasarathi emotionally.
On request of Superstar Krishna, shooting of films like Burripalem Bullodu, Meena and Patchani Samsaram were done at Burripalem village so that the villagers get a chance to watch how a film is shot.
“I only watch superstar Krishna movies. He was a man with golden heart and well deserved to be a hero. The passion to serve his village was inculcated by his mother Ghattamaneni Nagaratnamma. She donated a land to set up a school in the village premises and did several welfare works in the village”, expressed a villager Ramakrishna.
“He built Ghattamaneni Nagaratnamma High School in remembrance of his mother. He also built geeta mandir in the village. Following his footsteps, his son Mahesh Babu adopted the village in 2016 after shooting the film Srimanthudu. He improved basic amenities in the village by constructing roads and drains, and extra classrooms in the school. The entire village will be forever grateful for Krishna’s family and our support would always be with them, especially during tough times,” the villagers said in unity.