Telugu Cinema in Mourning: Andhra’s Pawan Kalyan and CM Naidu Grieve Over the Loss of Legendary Kota Srinivasa Rao

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said in a message on ‘X’ that the demise of actor Kota Srinivasa Rao, who won the affection of cinema audiences with his versatile roles, was deeply saddening. 

He said Srinivasa Rao’s artistic contributions to the fields of cinema and theatre for nearly four decades and the roles he portrayed were unforgettable.

“The numerous roles played by Srinivasa Rao as a villain and character artiste would remain etched in the hearts of Telugu people,” Mr. Naidu said, while noting that the veteran actor had served the public of Vijayawada as an MLA and his passing away was an irreparable loss.

Deputy CM K. Pawan Kalyan said in his condolence message that he was deeply saddened by Srinivasa Rao’s demise who stood as a symbol of versatile acting in the Telugu film industry. While extolling the talent of Srinivasa Rao, Mr. Kalyan said he played diverse roles as a villain and a character artist and his command of the Telugu language and its dialects was phenomenal.

The Deputy CM said his family shared a close friendship with Srinivasa Rao and his family and recalled that he played an important role in his [Mr. Kalyan’s] first film Akkada Ammayi Ikkada Abbayi.

YSR Congress Party president and former CM Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy stated in his condolence message that Srinivasa Rao left behind his inimitable mark on the film industry with his diverse performances and that his demise is a loss to the film industry.

BJP State president P.V.N. Madhav said Srinivasa Rao created a lasting impression both as a film actor and as a politician (Vijayawada East MLA from 1999 to 2004). Though he played a wide variety of roles in cinema, in real life, Srinivasa Rao was a gentle, friendly, and warm-hearted person, and his demise was an irreparable loss to the BJP and to his admirers.

Minister for Tourism, Culture, and Cinematography Kandula Durgesh expressed condolence on Srinivasa Rao’s death and said the brilliance with which he played diverse roles in more than 750 films was matchless.

“Srinivasa Rao had filled the void left by S.V. Ranga Rao, Kaikala Satyanarayana and Rao Gopal Rao, who were legends in the Telugu film industry,” Mr. Durgesh added.