Veteran Actor Kota Srinivasa Rao Garu Passes Away at 83 in Hyderabad

Iconic Telugu film actor Kota Srinivas Rao Garu passed away on 13 July 2025 in Hyderabad after a prolonged illness. He was 83 years old. He was suffering from age-related complications and was ill for a considerable period. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the passing away of Kota Sinivas Rao. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and prominent Telugu film industry personalities also condoled the demise of Kota Srinivas Rao.

Kota Srinivas Rao Garu and his Career in Tollywood 

Kota Srinivas Rao Garu made his name in Tollywood (the Telugu film industry) as a versatile actor who played roles ranging from villain to lead actor and comedian.

Kota Srinivas Rao was born in Kankipadu, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh, in 1942. He joined the State Bank of India (SBI) before entering the Telugu film industry.

Since college days, he was interested in theatres and continued this passion, even joining the SBI. 

He entered Tollywood with his first feature film, Pranam Khareedu, which was released in 1978.

In the early part of his acting career, he played character and comedic roles, but later established himself as a leading villain.

During his film career, he appeared in  750 films, including eight Kannada films, 30 Tamil films, 10 Hindi films, and one Malayalam film. Some of his popular films include Pratigatana, Aha Naa Pellanta!, Khaidi Number 786, Shiva, Yamaleela, Pellaina Kothalo, Attarintiki Daredi, Rakta Charitra, Leader, Ready, Sarkar, Bommarillu, Chatrapathi, Athadu, Aa Naluguru, Malliswari, Idiot and Prudhvi Narayana.

He was last seen on the screen in the Telugu film Suvarna Sundari, which was released in 2023.

Kota also sang songs in a couple of Telugu films.

Awards for Kota Srinivas Rao Garu

During his illustrious film career spanning four decades, Kota Srinivas Rao was honoured with various awards.

Padma Shri - In 2015, he was honoured with India’s fourth-highest civilian award, the Padma Shri.

Nandi Awards - He received nine prestigious Nandi Awards from the Andhra Pradesh government for his acting talent. The Andhra Pradesh Government has instituted the Nandi Award to recognise excellence in Telugu cinema, television, and theatres.

Political career 

Kota Srinivasa Rao also had a brief stint in politics. He was elected as an MLA on a BJP ticket from the Vijayawada East Assembly constituency in 1999.