Gollapudi Maruti Rao facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gollapudi Maruti Rao
Rao in 2007
Born	(1939-04-14)14 April 1939 Vizianagaram, Madras Presidency, British India (now in Andhra Pradesh, India)
Died	12 December 2019(2019-12-12) (aged 80) Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Occupation	Actor, screenwriter, dramatist, playwright, and dialogue writer

Gollapudi Maruti Rao (born April 14, 1939 – died December 12, 2019) was a very talented Indian artist. He was an actor, writer, and playwright. He was famous for his work in Telugu cinema (movies), Telugu theatre (plays), and Telugu literature.

Mr. Rao acted in more than 250 Telugu films. He played many different kinds of characters. He also wrote many popular plays like Rendu Rellu Aaru and Kallu. These works won him many awards.

He was part of important film groups, like the National Film Development Corporation. He also helped choose films for the International Film Festival of India in 1996. He wrote scripts for famous movies such as Doctor Chakravarthy and Kallu. He won six Nandi Awards from the state of Andhra Pradesh for his work.

In 1997, he started the Gollapudi Srinivas Memorial Foundation. This foundation gives the Gollapudi National Award to directors who make their very first film in Indian cinema.

Mr. Rao also worked for All India Radio and in journalism for over 20 years. One of his plays was even part of the Master of Arts (Telugu literature) course at Osmania University. This play was translated into many Indian languages. His 1975 play Kallu was made into a Telugu film, which also won a Nandi Award.

Early Life and Education

Gollapudi Maruti Rao was born on April 14, 1939. His family lived in Nandabalaga Village, in the Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh, India. He studied at Andhra University in Visakhapatnam. In 1959, he earned a degree in Mathematical Physics.

A Talented Writer

Maruti Rao was a very busy writer. He wrote 9 plays, 18 short plays, 12 novels, and many short stories. He also wrote essays and stories for children.

For over 24 years, he wrote a weekly column called "Jeevana Kaalam" (The Living Times). This column talked about current social and political topics. It was very popular in a major Telugu newspaper called Andhra Jyothy. Later, it appeared in another newspaper, Vaartha. You can even find his columns with audio readings of his voice online.

He wrote an autobiography called Amma Kadupu Challaga. It's a big book of 550 pages about his life. It was released in India, the USA, and Australia. He also wrote a travel book called Tanzania Teerthayatra. This book was about his 15-day trip to national parks in Tanzania.

Awards and Recognition

Gollapudi Maruti Rao won many awards for his amazing work.

Nandi Awards

The Nandi Awards are given by the government of Andhra Pradesh.

• Best Story Writer for Aatma Gowravam (1965)
• Best Story Writer for Kallu (1988)
• Best Male Comedian for Tarangini (1983)
• Best Character Actor for Ramayanamlo Bhagavatham (1985)
• Best Dialogue Writer for Master Kapuram (1990)
• Best Screenplay Writer for Prema Pusthakam (1993)
• Best Actor (Television) (1996)

All India Radio Awards

He also won awards for his radio work.

• Best Script in a radio play contest for Anantam (1959)
• Mahatma Gandhi Award for Creative Literature for Prasna

Other Literary Awards

• Sangam Academy Award for Best Play Kallu (1975)
• Gurazada Apparao Memorial Gold Medal (1985)
• Telugu Velugu Award (1987)
• Madras Telugu Academy Award for Best All-rounder (1996)
• Narasaraopeta Rangasthali Pratibha Puraskaram (2018)

Filmography Highlights

Gollapudi Maruti Rao was a very busy actor, writer, and director. Here are some of his notable works:

As an Actor

As a Writer

• Chelleli Kapuram (1971)
• Dorababu (1974)
• O Seeta Katha (1974)
• Subhalekha (1982)
• Kallu (1988)

As a Director

• Prema Pustakam (1993)

Death

Gollapudi Maruti Rao passed away on December 12, 2019, in Chennai. Many writers and people from the Telugu film industry were sad to hear about his loss.