Veteran actor Chalapathi Rao passed away on Sunday morning (December 25) after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was 78 years old. Chalapathi Rao was best known for his comic and villainous roles in Telugu cinema and had starred in over 600 films.
Rao was from Baliparru, Andhra Pradesh. His son Ravi Babu is also an actor, filmmaker, and producer in Tollywood. Rao had starred in innumerable films including Sakshi (1966), Driver Ramudu (1979), Vajram (1995), and even the Bollywood film Kick (2009).
Veteran actor Shri #ChalapathiRao (79) passed away due to cardiac arrest.
May his soul rest in peace 🙏 pic.twitter.com/Y2JZNIw8xV
— (@UrsVamsiShekar) December 25, 2022
After the news of his death broke, there was an outpouring of condolences and grief on Twitter, with many calling him the ‘finest and boldest’ actors of the current generation. Fans took to social media and shared old videos of him from films. One wrote, “Finest and boldest actor of the past and present generation Miss you and your apt roles Om shanti.” Another condoled, “We lost another great actor…” A third added that it was a ‘terrible’ year for Tollywood.
He is survived by his wife Indumaty, and their three children, one of whom is the actor-filmmaker Ravi Babu.
