Veteran Telugu actor Chalapathi Rao dies of heart attack

Hyderabad: Veteran Telugu actor and producer T Chalapathi Rao died due to heart attack at his residence here on Sunday.

Rao was known for comedy and villainous roles in Telugu cinema.

He was 78 and is survived by his wife Indumaty, two daughters and a son.

His son Ravi Babu is an actor, director and producer in Tollywood.

Rao hailed from Baliparru in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh and acted in different roles in more than 600 films.

The Veteran actor entered the film industry with the encouragement of Senior N T Rama Rao and made his debut in the film industry with the movie 'Gudachari 116' released in 1966.

As a supporting actor and villain in the films of Sr NTR, Krishna, Akkineni Nagarjuna, Chiranjeevi and Venkatesh, Rao received praise from all.

He also entered production and produced films like 'Kaliyuga Krishnadu', 'Kadapa Reddamma', 'Jagannatakam' 'Pellante Nurella Panta', 'Presidentigari Alludu', 'Ardharatri Hatyalu' and 'Raktham Chindina Raatri.'

His mortal remains will be kept at Ravi Babu's house in Banjara Hills for fans to visit till Sunday afternoon to play their last respects.

The funeral will be held on Wednesday after 3 pm after his daughter arrived from America. (UNI)