Krishna’s death marks end of an era
Telugu star and movie pioneer died yesterday following a cardiac arrest in Hyderabad
Veteran Tollywood actor Krishna passed away at a hospital in Hyderabad yesterday while receiving treatment for a cardiac arrest. He was 79 years old.
Superstar Krishna, one of the last legends of the Telugu film industry, died at Continental Hospital, where he was admitted late Sunday night after a heart attack.
According to doctors he was brought to the hospital in an unconscious state, but was revived after 20 minutes of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. He was put on a ventilator and his condition was critical.
Krishna’s son, the popular actor Mahesh Babu, and other family members were present at the hospital.
Ghattamaneni Siva Rama Krishna Murthy or Krishna, as he was popularly known, acted in more than 350 films in a career spanning five decades. He also produced and directed a few films.
Born on May 31, 1942, in Burripalem in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, Krishna entered the film industry in the early 60s with small roles. His first lead role was in the 1965 movie Thene Manasulu, which became a hit.
COOL SPY FILMS
His project next year, Gudacchari 116, proved to be a superhit, making Krishna one of the most sought after actors. With this success, he got offers for 20 films. He subsequently acted in at least six spy movies.
Sakshi (1967) won critical acclaim at the Tashkent film festival. His 1972 movie Pandanti Kapuram bagged the national film award for best feature film in Telugu that year.
Krishna is known for iconic movies such as Alluri Seetharama Raju
(19767), which was the first cinemascope movie in Tollywood; Eenadu
(1982), the first Eastman colour film; and Sim-hasanam (1986), the first 70mm film in the industry.
The superstar founded Padmalaya Studio in 1970 and produced some successful movies. After a storied career, in 2009, he was honoured with the Padma Bhushan - India’s third-highest civilian award for his contributions to Indian cinema.
On the personal front, Krishna married Indira Devi in 1965. They had five children. He married actor Vijaya Nirmala and had one son with her. She died in 2019.