Chilakalapudi Seeta Rama Anjaneyulu (11 July 1907 – 8 October 1963), popularly known as C. S. R., was an Indian

method actor Method ( grc, μέθοδος, methodos) literally means a pursuit of knowledge, investigation, mode of prosecuting such inquiry, or system. In recent centuries it more often means a prescribed process for completing a task. It may refer to: *Scien ...

, and thespian best known for his works in

Telugu cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hy ...

, and Telugu theater. He acted in many stage dramas and portrayed lead characters and mythological roles in over 175 movies. He was one of the lead actors of his time. Anjaneyulu was an established lead actor by the late 1930s, preceding the entrance of actors such as NTR and

ANR People * Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Great Telugu film actor. Places * Akkineni Nageswara Rao College, sometimes called ANR College * Antwerp International Airport (IATA code) Entities * Agence nationale de la recherche, a French funding agency f ...

. His performance in the super-hit ''Bhaktha Ramadasu'' in 1937 won him many accolades. In the 1950s, starting with ''

Pathala Bhairavi ''Pathala Bhairavi'' () is a 1951 Indian fantasy film directed by K. V. Reddy who co-wrote the film with Pingali and Kamalakara Kameswara Rao. Shot simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil languages, the film was produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakr ...

'' screened at the first

International Film Festival of India The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Held annually, currently in the state of Goa, on the western coast of the country, the festival aims at providing a common pla ...

, he began acting in character roles. In ''Pathala Bhairavi'', he plays a king worried about his daughter, a princess kidnapped by a wicked magician played by Ranga Rao. He was noted for portraying mythological and historical roles such as

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

Ramadasu ''Ramadasu'' is a 1964 Indian Telugu-language biographical film, based on the life of Kancharla Gopanna, produced and directed by V. Nagayya. It stars Nagayya, with N. T. Rama Rao, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Sivaji Ganesan and Anjali Devi in s ...

, Sarangadhara, Bhavani Sankar,

Tukaram Sant Tukaram Maharaj (Marathi pronunciation: ̪ukaːɾam was a 17th-century Marathi poet, Hindu ''sant'' (saint), popularly known as Tuka, Tukobaraya, Tukoba in Maharashtra. He was a Sant of Varkari sampradaya (Marathi-Vaishnav tradition) ...

and Satyavantha. He also acted as

Lord Venkateswara Venkateswara, also known by various other names, is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. Venkateswara is the presiding deity of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, located in Tirupati, Sri Balaji District, Andhra Pradesh, India. Etymology Venkatesw ...

in '' Sri Venkateswara Mahatyam'', one of director P. Pulliah's first successful films. In the 1953 film '' Devadasu'', he portrayed an aged widower

zamindar A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as a ...

, alongside Savitri, who acts as his wife. His other acclaimed character roles include Sakuni (a character from

Mahabharatha The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Ku ...

) in ''

Mayabazar ''Mayabazar'' () is a 1957 Indian epic Hindu mythological film directed by K. V. Reddy. It was produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani under their banner, Vijaya Productions. The film was shot simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil languages, w ...

''. His other acclaimed acting credits include ''

Rojulu Marayi ''Rojulu Marayi'' () is a 1955 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by Tapi Chanakya. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Sowcar Janaki with music composed by Master Venu. The film was produced by C. V. R. Prasad on Sarathi Films banner. T ...

'', ''Gruhapravesam'', ''

Illarikam ''Illarikam'' () is a 1959 Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film directed by T. Prakash Rao. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Jamuna, with music composed by T. Chalapathi Rao. It was produced by A. V. Subba Rao under the Prasad Art Pict ...

'', ''

Kanyasulkam ''Kanyasulkam'' is a Telugu play written by Gurajada Apparao in 1892.20th Century Telugu Luminaries, Potti Sriramulu Telugu University, Hyderabad, 2005 It is one of the earliest modern works in an Indian language, and it is the first Telugu play ...

'' and ''

Appu Chesi Pappu Koodu ''Appu Chesi Pappu Koodu'' () is a 1959 Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film directed by L. V. Prasad. The film was produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani of Vijaya Productions; the latter co-wrote its script with Prasad and Vempati Sada ...

''. His directorial credits include the 1939 allegorical melodrama, ''Jayapradha''.

Early life

He was born on 11 July 1907 in a Telugu family at Chilakalapudi near

Machilipatnam Machilipatnam (), also known as Masulipatnam and Bandar, is a city in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipal corporation and the administrative headquarters of Krishna district. It is also the Tehsil, mandal he ...

in Andhra Pradesh. His father, Lakshmi Narasimha Murthy, used to work in Revenue department. He later moved to

Ponnur Ponnur is a town in Guntur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. There was a festival on full moon day in May. A road to Chandole goes south-east and comes to Nidubrolu, where there is a temple with a stone bearing inscription recor ...

Guntur district Guntur district is one of the twenty six districts in the Coastal Andhra region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The administrative seat of the district is located at Guntur, the largest city of the district in terms of area and with a po ...

. After school final studies, he worked as a co-operative supervisor for some time. Instead of pursuing further studies, he choose to enter the field of drama. In a short time, he reached a position comparable to Sthanam Narasimha Rao, ''D. V. Subba Rao'', Parupalli, Addanki and others. He played Sri Krishna in ''Sri Krishna Tulabaram'' and ''Radhakrishna'', Ramadas in ''Bhakta Ramadasu'' and Tukaram in ''Bhakta Tukaram'', which got him wide recognition. He was also a natural singer, particularly in poems. He was a national activist. He directed and produced ''Patita Pavana'', a drama on

Untouchability Untouchability is a form of social institution that legitimises and enforces practices that are discriminatory, humiliating, exclusionary and exploitative against people belonging to certain social groups. Although comparable forms of discrimin ...

. He contributed to the Indian National Army of

Subhas Chandra Bose Subhas Chandra Bose ( ; 23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945 * * * * * * * * *) was an Indian nationalist whose defiance of British authority in India made him a hero among Indians, but his wartime alliances with Nazi Germany and Imperia ...

collected through donations by playing his ''Tukaram'' drama.

Personal life

He had two younger sisters and two younger brothers. One brother, C. S. Nageswara Rao, was the assistant director for movies including Suvarna Sundari,

Gunasundari Katha ''Gunasundari Katha'' is a 1949 Indian Telugu language fantasy film produced and directed by K. V. Reddy, starring Sriranjani, Kasturi Siva Rao, Santha Kumari. The script was written by Pingali Nagendra Rao, K. V. Reddy, and Kamalakara Kameswa ...

and

. Another brother, C. Venkata Rathnam (better known as C. V. Rathnam), was with Bharani Pictures & Studios and was the production manager for all the films produced by actress Bhanumathi Ramakrishna.

Filmography

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chilakalapudi, Seeta Rama Anjaneyulu Male actors in Telugu cinema 1907 births 1963 deaths Telugu film directors People from Machilipatnam 20th-century Indian male actors Male actors from Andhra Pradesh Telugu male actors Indian male stage actors Andhra University alumni Indian male film actors Film directors from Andhra Pradesh Male actors in Malayalam cinema 20th-century Indian film directors