Veteran Telugu actor Krishna has passed away. He went into cardiac arrest in the early hours of Monday morning. He was revived at a private hospital after 20 minutes of CPR. But his condition remained critical. He was 79.
Born Ghattamaneni Shivarama Krishna in Burripalem in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, Krishna conquered the Telugu film industry by playing minor roles in the early 1960s. He made his debut in 1965 as a leading actor in the romantic drama Thene Manasulu by director Adurthi Subba Rao. And the rest, as the saying goes, is history.
Krishna not only captured the hearts of Telugu film audiences but also constantly pushed the boundaries of Telugu cinema. He was ahead of his time when it came to exploring new cinematic ideas, themes, technologies and visual styles. Take his third film Gudachari 116 (Agent 116) for example. It enjoys the distinction of being Telugu cinema’s first James Bond-esque spy thriller. In 1967, the film was considered a risky venture when mythological films dominated the Telugu box office. Written and directed by M. Mallikarjuna Rao, the film proved the naysayers wrong by becoming one of the top-grossing films of the year. And it also remains one of the iconic Telugu movies of the bygone era.
Gudachari 116 gave Krishna a solid foundation to build an envious career in Telugu cinema. And with films like Ave Kallu (1967), Saakshi (1967) and other James Bond films — James Bond 777 (1971), Agent Gopi (1978) — he cemented his position as a bankable star in the very early years of his career. His fascination with spy thrillers earned him the nickname “The Andhra James Bond”.
Krishna also enjoyed an excellent reputation for his exemplary professional discipline and work ethic. He always seemed willing to go the extra mile for the good of the film fraternity. Even after gaining “demigod” status among his fans, he never took his fame for granted. He shot multiple projects at the same time, working three shifts each day. At the height of his career, he was averaging 10 films a year, which is a record in itself. In 1970 he starred in 16 films and in 1972 he headlined 18 films. And most of his films brought profits to the producers and helped him gain the title of “superstar” in the Telugu film industry.
(Express Stock Photo)
Aside from acting, Krishna has also directed and produced several blockbusters under his in-house production banner, Padmalaya Studios. He made his directorial debut with Simhasanam (1984), one of the biggest blockbusters of his career. He later remade the film in Hindi as Singhasan starring Jeetendra. The Hindi remake was also a big hit. As a director, he has a total of 17 films to his credit, including some super hits like Mugguru Kodukulu, Koduku Diddina Kapuram, Anna Thammudu and Bala Chandrudu. He also financed superstar Rajinikanth’s Tamil film Maaveeran.
In the later years of his career he played important supporting roles in films such as Kanthaswamy, Baladoor, Vamsi, Raja Kumarudu and Osey Ramulamma.
Krishna was also instrumental in introducing several innovative film technologies into Telugu cinema. His blockbuster Alluri Sitarama Raju was the first film in Telugu to be shot in CinemaScope. His directorial debut Simhasanam was the first Telugu film shot on 70mm film. His 200th film Eenadu was the first Eastman color film in Telugu. And he introduced Telugu audience to DTS sound effects with Telugu Veera Levara.
In a career spanning five decades, Krishna’s contribution to the growth of Telugu cinema is unparalleled. In 2009 he was awarded Padma Bhushan by the Government of India for his immense contributions to the field of art.