Legendary film producer and media baron Ramoji Rao passes away

HYDERABAD: Ramoji Rao, media baron and head of the Ramoji group passed away on Saturday due to age-related illness. He was 87. The founder of the Eenadu group of publications and ETV channels, Ramoji’s health condition worsened on Saturday and he passed away in the wee hours of Saturday morning at Star Hospital in Hyderabad. He was suffering from age-related illness for a long time.

Rao's business empire includes Ramoji Film City, the world's largest film production hub, and Ushakiran Movies, a film production company founded in 1983, Ramoji Rao is also a popular film producer, educationist, journalist and media entrepreneur. He is also a Padma Vibhushan recipient.

Apart from the world’s largest film production hub, Ramoji’s business empire sprawls across a wide terrain and also includes Margadarsi Chit Funds, Eenadu Telugu daily, ETV network of television channels, film production company Usha Kiran Movies.

The movies produced under Ushakiran have won four Filmfare Awards and a National Film Award. Ramoji Rao started his career with a magazine focused on agriculture and farmers. In 2015, he announced plans to build Om Spiritual City near Ramoji Film City on the outskirts of Hyderabad. It was announced that the city will have replicas of 108 famous temples of India.

In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ramoji Rao donated Rs 10 crore each to the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Chief Ministers' Relief Fund. He kept hope about the country overcoming the scare of the pandemic. Unlike other producers who simply craved commercial success, Ramoji was adamant about financing movies that had a great story and visual scope rather than anything else.