Kota Srinivasa Rao, noted actor known for his villain roles, dies at 83

HYDERABAD: Famous Telugu film actor and former BJP MLA Kota Srinivasa Rao passed away on Sunday. He was 83. Kota Srinivasa Rao passed away at his residence in Film Nagar, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. He had been undergoing treatment for a long time. With more than 750 films in various languages, Rao was known mostly for his fear-instilling antagonist roles.

Born in Kankipadu in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, Rao made his film debut with the 1978 film 'Pranam Khareedu'. In a career spanning over four decades, he has acted in Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada and Hindi. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2015 for his contributions to Indian cinema. He also served as a BJP MLA from Vijayawada East assembly constituency from 1999 to 2004. Before entering the film industry, he was an employee of the State Bank.

Kota Srinivasa Rao's role as Perumal Pichai, a villain in the 2003 film ‘Saamy’ starring Vikram, gained much attention. He made his Malayalam debut in the 2011 film The Train, directed by Jayaraj and starring Mammootty.