Gummadi Venkateswara Rao (9 July 1927 – 26 January 2010), known

mononymously A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...

by his

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

Gummadi, was an Indian actor and producer, who worked predominantly 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 a few

Tamil film Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood' ...

s. Known as one of the finest

method actors 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 ...

, Gummadi starred in around five hundred feature films. He received critical recognition for his work in '' Thodu Dongalu'' (1954) and ''

Mahamantri Timmarusu Saluva Timmarusu or Saluva Nayaka or simply Timmarasu was the Prime Minister (Mahapradhana) and military commander of Krishna Deva Raya. He is also known as "Appaji". He had also served as Prime Minister under Viranarasimha Raya and Tuluva Nar ...

'' (1962), for which he has received the erstwhile

Rashtrapati Award Rashtrapati Awards used to be given by the President of India, in some cases the Prime Minister of India, for achievements in the field of sports, art, military, literature, cinema, culture, science and technology, or Scouting. The award-giving ...

. Gummadi was an official member of the Indian delegation from South India to the ''Tashkent Film Festival'' in 1978 and 1982. Gummadi served as a jury member thrice for the 28th, 33rd and

39th National Film Awards The 39th National Film Awards, presented by Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 1991. Ceremony took place in 19 ...

. He served twice on the state

Nandi Awards The Nandi Awards are the awards that recognise the excellence in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre and Telugu television, and Lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. Presented annually by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the award is named after ...

Committee. In 1977, he was awarded India's fourth-highest civilian honor

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

for his contributions to

Indian cinema The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...

. He is widely known for his roles in films such as ''

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, with ...

'' (1957), ''

Maa Inti Mahalakshmi ''Maa Inti Mahalakshmi'' is a 1959 Indian Telugu-language family drama film directed by G. Ramineedu and written by K. Pratyagatma. It stars Jamuna and Haranath. The was produced by Parvathaneni Gangadhara Rao and the music was composed by G ...

'' (1959), ''Kula Daivam'' (1960), ''

Kula Gothralu ''Kula Gotralu'' () is a 1961 Indian Telugu-language drama film written and directed by K. Pratyagatma. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Krishna Kumari, with music composed by S. Rajeswara Rao. Acharya Aatreya wrote the dialogues for the f ...

'' (1962), '' Jyothi'' (1976), ''

Nelavanka ''Nelavanka'' () is a 1983 Indian Telugu-language film directed by Jandhyala. Cast * Gummadi as Srirama Raju *J. V. Somayajulu as Raheem *Rajesh as Saleem *Kiran as Kiran *Tulasi as Lalita *Rajyalakshmi as Savitri *Master Ali as Ali *Muddali Su ...

'' (1981), ''

Maro Malupu ''Maro Malupu'' is a 1982 Indian Telugu-language film directed by Vejella Satyanarayana. This Nandi Award-winning film is based on the Caste system in India and social conditions. The film won three Nandi Awards. Credits Cast * Gummadi * Nar ...

'' (1982), ''Ekalavya'' (1982), ''Ee Charitra Ye Siraatho?'' (1982), ''Gaaju Bommalu'' (1983) and '' Pelli Pustakam'' (1991). In 2008, he starred in ''Jagadguru Sree Kasinayana Charitra'', which would be his last film.

Early life

He was born in

Ravikampadu Ravikampadu is a small village in the Kollur mandal of the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, India. Education The primary and secondary school education is imparted by government, aided and private schools, under the ''School Education Depa ...

Kollur mandal Kollur mandal is one of the 25 mandals in Bapatla district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is under the administration of Tenali revenue division and the headquarters are located at Kollur. Geography The mandal is situated on the ...

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 ...

, in present-day

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

. According to one of his interviews, he studied in ZP High School, Kollur and

Hindu College, Guntur Hindu College (Guntur) was founded in 1930. It is located in Guntur City, India. Introduction This educational institution started its activities in 1930. The current Hindu high school started then. later it started offering other courses als ...

Early career

Gummadi's acting career extended from 1950 onwards for almost six decades and he worked with three generations of people in the film industry. Though young, he played dignified older people at the beginning. He was a versatile

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

in sociopolitical and mythological movies. He acted in nearly 500 movies. He played the role of father to many lead actors in old

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

films. Gummadi Venkateswara Rao first appeared as an actor in 1942, where he played the role of an old man on the stage. He began his cinema career with ''Adrushtadeepudu'' (1950) and continued on for about 500 more films portraying roles ranging from the hero, the villain and the character artiste, to roles with a slight comedic bent, such as his guest appearance in ''Missamma'' (1955).

Characters played by him

Balarama Balarama (Sanskrit: बलराम, IAST: ''Balarāma'') is a Hindu god and the elder brother of Krishna. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities. He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Balad ...

Bhishma Bhishma (Sanskrit: भीष्‍म, , ), also known as Pitamaha, Gangaputra, and Devavrata, played an integral role in Mahabharata. He was the supreme commander of the Kaurava forces during the Kurukshetra War mentioned in the Hindu epic M ...

Maharishi Bhrigu Bhrigu ( sa, भृगु, ) was a rishi in Hinduism. He was one of the seven great sages, the Saptarshis, one of the many Prajapatis (the facilitators of Creation) created by Brahma. The first compiler of predictive astrology, and also the ...

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

Dasharatha Dasharatha (Sanskrit: दशरथ, IAST: Daśaratha; born Nemi) was the king of the Kosala kingdom and a scion of the Suryavamsha dynasty in Hinduism. He ruled from this capital at Ayodhya. Dasharatha was the son of Aja and Indumati. He ha ...

* Diwan *

Durvasa In Hindu scriptures, Durvasa ( sa, दुर्वासा, ) also known as Durvasas (Sanskrit: दुर्वासस्), is a legendary rishi (sage). He is the son of Anasuya and Atri. According to some Puranas, Durvasa is a partial avata ...

Jamadagni Jamadagni ( sa, जमदग्नि, lit=great fire) is a character in Hindu literature. He is regarded in Hindu tradition to be one of the Saptarishi (Seven Vedic sages) in the seventh, and the current age of Manvantara.Avalon, Arthur (Sir J ...

Kabir Kabir Das (1398–1518) was a 15th-century Indian mystic poet and saint. His writings influenced Hinduism's Bhakti movement, and his verses are found in Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib, the Satguru Granth Sahib of Saint Garib Das, ...

Karna Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण, IAST: ''Karṇa''), also known as Vasusena, Anga-raja, and Radheya, is one of the main protagonists of the Hindu epic '' Mahābhārata''. He is the son of the sun god Surya and princess Kunti (mother of the ...

* Kasinayana *

Nanda Nanda may refer to: Indian history and religion * Nanda Empire, ruled by the Nanda dynasty, an Indian royal dynasty ruling Magadha in the 4th century BCE ** Mahapadma Nanda, first Emperor of the Nanda Empire ** Dhana Nanda (died c. 321 BCE), last ...

Parashurama Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Veerarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. He is believed to be one of the ''Chiranjeevis'' (Immortals), who will appear ...

Pothana Bammera Pothana (Telugu: బమ్మెర పోతన) (1450–1510) was a Telugu Shaiva poet best known for his translation of the Srimad Bhaagavatam from Sanskrit to Telugu. He was a Telugu and Sanskrit Scholar. His work, Srimad Bhagavata ...

* Principal *

Timmarusu Saluva Timmarusu or Saluva Nayaka or simply Timmarasu was the Prime Minister (Mahapradhana) and military commander of Krishna Deva Raya. He is also known as "Appaji". He had also served as Prime Minister under Viranarasimha Raya and Tuluva Nar ...

Vishwamitra Vishvamitra ( sa, विश्वामित्र, ) is one of the most venerated rishis or sages of ancient India. According to Hindu tradition, he is stated to have written most of the Mandala 3 of the Rigveda, including the Gayatri Mant ...

Yudhishthira ''Yudhishthira'' (Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira'') is the eldest among the five Pandava brothers. He is mentioned in the ancient epic Mahabharata. He was sired by King Pandu of the Kuru Dynasty and his first w ...

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 ...

Personal life

Gummadi was married and had five daughters and two sons. He died of

multiple organ failure Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is altered organ function in an acutely ill patient requiring medical intervention to achieve homeostasis. Although Irwin and Rippe cautioned in 2005 that the use of "multiple organ failure" or "multisy ...

at Care hospital,

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

on 26 January 2010. His last public appearance was at the screening of '' Maya Bazar'', which had been colourised. Here he expressed his happiness and said, "Watching this great movie in colour probably could have been the only reason for me to have stayed alive for so long."

Written works

Gummadi wrote his memoirs of Telugu cinema in ''Teepi Gurthulu and Chedu Gnapakalu''.

Awards

;Civilian honors *

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

- 1977 ;

s *Best acting for ''

'' (1963) ;

Raghupathi Venkaiah Award The Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu Award is an award issued by the Indian state government of Andhra Pradesh, to recognise lifetime achievements in Telugu cinema. The award was introduced in 1981 in honour of Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu, a pioneer of t ...

for contribution to Telugu cinema (1998) *

Nandi Award for Best Supporting Actor The Nandi Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented at the Nandi Awards, instituted since 1981. Winners See also * Nandi Awards * Cinema of Andhra Pradesh References {{DEFAULTSORT:Nandi Award For Best Supporting Actor Supportin ...

- ''

'' (1982) ;Other Honors *1963 - Honorary Doctorate -

Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University The Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University (PSTU) is one of the few Indian language universities in India. University It was established as "Telugu University" on 2 December 1985 through an Act of Legislation (Act No. 27 of 1985) by the State Legi ...

*1976 - Filmfare Special Award for Excellent Performance - '' Jyothi'' and '' Sita Kalyanam''

Selected filmography

References

External links

* *gummadi.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Gummadi 1928 births 2010 deaths Indian male film actors Telugu male actors Tamil male actors Male actors in Telugu cinema Male actors in Tamil cinema Male actors in Hindi cinema Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Film producers from Andhra Pradesh Nandi Award winners Filmfare Awards South winners Recipients of the Rashtrapati Award 20th-century Indian male actors Deaths from multiple organ failure Male actors from Andhra Pradesh People from Guntur district