The Telugu cinema industry lost some of its major stars in 2022. The passing of legendary actors Kaikala Satyanarayana and Chalapathi Rao at the end of the year was also devastating to Tollywood, as were the deaths of blockbuster Krishna and “rebel star” Krishnam Raju.
Ramesh Babu, an actor and producer who was the older brother of well-known actor Mahesh Babu, passed away in January, ushering in the new year on a melancholy note.
Films by Ramesh Babu included Bazaar Rowdy, Mugguru Kodukulu, and others. He had switched to producing after quitting playing in 1997.
Three senior actors from Tollywood passed away in April. After battling cancer, director Sarath passed away at the age of 74. In his career, Sarath, who made his directing debut in 1986 with Chadastapu Mogudu, produced over 20 movies. He mostly collaborated with the actors Suman and Nandamuri Balakrishna.
In addition to directing Suman in the movies Bava Bavamaridi, Peddinti Alludu, and Chinna Alludu, he also produced superhits like Vamshanikokkadu, Sulthan, Peddannayya, and Vamshoddharakudu.
Veteran actor M. Balayya passed away in the same month at the age of 94. He had been in more than 300 movies and was well known for portraying senior citizens and other significant roles in a number of hugely successful films.
The death of veteran director Tatineni Rama Rao was a further blow for Tollywood. He passed away at the age of 84 in Chennai.
With Navarathri (1966), which starred Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Savitri in the lead roles, he made his directorial debut. He began his career in the film industry as an assistant director. More than 65 Hindi and Telugu films were directed by him.
He was the director of popular movies like Brahmachari (1966), Manchi Mitrulu (1969), Jeevana Tarangalu (1973), Dorababu (1974), Yamagola (1977), Anuraga Devatha (1982), and Pachchani Kapuram (1985).
Legendary Tollywood performer U. V. Krishnam Raju passed away in September. At the age of 83, he passed away. He was the uncle of well-known actor Prabhas and was dubbed the “rebel star” of Telugu film.
Over the course of a 50-year acting career, Krishnam Raju appeared in more than 180 movies. Additionally, he was the winner of three Nandi awards and five Filmfare South awards. His most well-known works are, among others, Bhakta Kannappa, Krishnaveni, and Jeevana Tarangalu.
Between 2000 and 2002, Raju held the position of Union Minister of State in a number of Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA ministries. On a BJP ticket, he won the Kakinada and Narasapuram seats in the 12th and 13th Lok Sabha, respectively.
The passing of renowned actor Krishna in November was a terrible loss for Tollywood. At the age of 79, he passed away by cardiac arrest.
Ghattamaneni In a career spanning five decades, Siva Rama Krishna Murthy, also known as Superstar Krishna, appeared in more than 350 movies. A couple of the films he directed and produced as well.
Krishna was credited for establishing numerous new trends in Tollywood and is the father of actor Mahesh Babu.
He is renowned for a number of historical films, including “Alluri Seetharama Raju,” the first cinemascope picture in Tollywood, “Eenadu,” the first Eastman colour film, and “Simhasanam,” the first 70 mm film.
In 1970, the superstar created Padmalaya Studio, which went on to make some incredibly popular films.
Since the passing of his wife Indira Devi in September, the actor was reportedly experiencing depression. He lost his older son Ramesh Babu at the start of this year.
Krishna, who was thought to be close to Rajiv Gandhi, the previous prime minister, joined the Congress party in 1984. He was chosen to represent Eluru in the Lok Sabha in 1989 but was defeated in the same district in 1991. Krishna stayed away from politics following Rajiv Gandhi’s murder.
In 2003, he won the NTR National Award, among other honours. He received the Padma Bhushan award in 2009 in recognition of his contributions to Indian film.
Two more senior performers from Tollywood passed away in the final month of the year. On December 23, Kaikala Satyanarayana, who was 87 years old, passed away. He appeared in more than 750 movies and was well known for his appearances as villains and character actors. He collaborated with almost 200 filmmakers over the course of a 60-year career.
He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Machilipatnam in 1996 on the platform of the Telugu Desam Party and was a close friend of the former chief minister N. T. Rama Rao (TDP). Later, he gave up politics.
On December 25, another seasoned actor, Tammareddy Chalapathi Rao, went suddenly before Tollywood had time to recuperate from this trauma. At the age of 78, he passed away from cardiac arrest.
In a career spanning more than five decades, he appeared alongside three generations of top actors and was known for his humorous and evil parts. He appeared in over 600 movies.
With “Ghodachari 116,” Chalapathi Rao made his acting debut in 1966. Alongside A-list actors like N. T. Rama Rao, Krishna, Nagarjuna, Chiranjeevi, and Venkatesh, he played supporting parts. In addition, he made a few movies.