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S. V. Ranga Rao
Born	Samarla Venkata Ranga Rao 3 July 1918 Rajahmundry, Madras Presidency, British India (now Andhra Pradesh, India)
Died	18 July 1974 (aged 56) Madras, Tamil Nadu, India
Other names	SVR, Viswa Nata Chakravarthi
Occupation(s)	Actor, Producer, Director
Spouse	Leelavathi ​(m. 1947)​
Awards	Rashtrapati Award International Honor
Signature

S. V. Ranga Rao (born Samarla Venkata Ranga Rao; 3 July 1918 – 18 July 1974), popularly known as SVR, was an Indian film actor, producer, and director known for his works majorly in Telugu and Tamil films. He was widely known as "Viswa Nata Chakravarthi" (transl. "Universal Emperor of Acting"). Throughout his film career, which spanned a total of thirty years, Ranga Rao garnered various national and international honours, state Nandi Awards.

Ranga Rao was a method actor known for his natural acting style, portraying complex — social, biographical, and mythological — characters such as 'Nepala Manthrikudu', a tantric in Pathala Bhairavi (1951), Ghatotkacha in Maya Bazaar (1957), Mayasura in Bhookailas (1958), Bhoja in Mahakavi Kalidasu (1960). In 1964, he received the Best Actor Award for his portrayal of Kichaka in Nartanasala (1963) at the third Afro-Asian Film Festival held in Jakarta, becoming the only Indian actor to have ever garnered the honour. He then essayed Duryodhana in the blockbuster Pandava Vanavasam (1965), Hiranyakasipu in Bhakta Prahlada (1967), and Ravana in Sampoorna Ramayanam (1971) to name a few. He starred in such films as Pathala Bhairavi (1951), the only south Indian film screened at the first International Film Festival of India, the enduring classics Mayabazar (1957) and Nartanasala (1963), featured in the CNN-IBN's list of "100 greatest Indian films of all time".

Ranga Rao made significant contributions to Telugu cinema. He has made his foray as a character actor in super-hits such as Mana Desam (1949), Palletoori Pilla (1950), Devadasu (1953), Bangaru Papa (1954), Raju Peda (1954), Thodi Kodallu (1957), Chenchu Lakshmi (1958), Pelli Naati Pramanalu (1958), Nammina Bantu (1959), Gundamma Katha (1962), Sarada (1962), Annai (1962), Karpagam (1963), Naanum Oru Penn (1963), Bobbili Yuddham (1964), Bandhavyalu (1968), Lakshmi Nivasam (1968), Prema Nagar (1971), Dasara Bullodu (1971), and Vasantha Maligai (1972). Government of Andhra Pradesh instituted an award in his memory, presented every year to the best character acting performance, known as the S. V. Ranga Rao Award for Best Actor.

Early life

Ranga Rao was born in Dowleswaram near Rajahmundry in East Godavari District to a Telugu speaking family. Samarla Lakshmi was his mother and Samarla Koteswara Rao, an excise inspector at Nuzvidu town in Krishna district, was his father. His mother, Lakshmi Narasayamma, a staunch devotee of Lord Venkateswara, named the boy after him. Ranga Rao was sent to erstwhile Madras where he completed his schooling at Hindu College. At an early age of 12, he showed interest in stage acting. He ventured into acting after completing his bachelor's degree in sciences.

Cinema

S. V. R. got an invitation from one of his relatives, B. V. Ramanandam, to play the lead actor in his film Varoodhini. He immediately abandoned the job, and left for Salem to join the celluloid world. In fact, it was a great beginning for the young man when the film was released. However, S. V. R. left the Madras Presidency and reached Jamshedpur, where he took up the job as a budget assistant with the Tata Company. However, his love for dramas began to bloom multifold. At this juncture, he married Leelavathi Badeti on 27 December 1947. In the days that followed, S. V. R. was given an opportunity to appear in Palletoori Pilla (1950), produced by B. A. Subba Rao. Ranga Rao was offered his first lead antagonist role by Vijaya Pictures.

Characters essayed

• Akbar in Anarkali
• Banasura in Usha Parinayam
• Bhishma in Bala Bharatam
• Bhoja in Mahakavi Kalidasu
• Daksha in Dakshayagnam
• Duryodhana in Pandava Vanavasam
• Ghatotkacha in Mayabazar
• Harischandra in Harischandra
• Hiranyakashipu in Bhakta Prahlada
• Kamsa in Yashoda Krishna and Srikrishna Leelalu
• Keechaka in Narthanasala
• Mayasura in Bhookailas
• Narakasura in Vinayaka Chaviti
• Narakasura in Deepavali
• Rajaraja Narendra in Sarangadhara
• Ravana in Sampoorna Ramayanam
• Tandra Paparayudu in Bobbili Yuddham
• Ugrasena in Guna Sundari
• Yama in Sati Savitri

Personal life and Death

Ranga Rao married Leelavati, daughter of Badeti Venkata Ramayya and Koteswaramma on 27 December 1947. They have three children: two daughters, Vijaya and Prameela and a son, Koteswara Rao. Ranga Rao had a cardiac arrest at Hyderabad in February 1974. He was admitted to Osmania General Hospital, and then discharged. Another attack on 18 July 1974 at Madras proved fatal and the actor died before any medical treatment could be administered.

Awards

International honors

• Best Actor Award - 3rd Afro-Asian Film Festival held in Jakarta - (1963) - for essaying Keechaka in Nartanasala
• Special Mention - San Sebastián International Film Festival

Nandi Award for Best Feature Film (Director)

• Chadarangam (1967) - Silver Nandi
• Bandhavyalu (1968) - Gold Nandi

Other honors

• He was given distinguished titles such as Rashtrapati Award, Viswa Nata Chakravarti, Nata Sarvabhouma, Nata Sekhara, Nata Simha.

Selected filmography

Actor

Director

• Bandhavyalu (1968)
• Chadarangam (1967)

Producer

• Bandhavyalu (1968) (producer)
• Chadarangam (1967) (producer)
• Naadi Aada Janme (1965) (producer)
• Sukhadukhalu (1969)

References

1. ^ Sanmana Satkaralu, Viswa Nata Chakravarti, M. Sanjay Kishore, Sangam Akademy, Hyderabad, 2005, pp: 65.
2. "Giant of Silver screen - A Photo biography of S. V. Ranga Rao". The Hindu.
3. Narasimham, M. L. (21 July 2013). "Pelli Chesi Choodu (1952)". The Hindu.
4. "4th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
5. ^ "Directorate of Film Festival" (PDF).
6. ^ "SVR's versatility remembered". The Hindu. 19 July 2010.
7. ^ Lindsay, Jennifer (1 January 2012). Heirs to World Culture: Being Indonesian, 1950-1965. BRILL. ISBN 9789004253513 – via Google Books.
8. ^ Mahabhinishkramana, Viswa Nata Chakravarti, M. Sanjay Kishore, Sangam Akademy, Hyderabad, 2005, pp: 69-70.
9. ^ "S.V. Ranga Rao's bronze statue unveiled". The Hindu. 19 July 2010.
10. "::Directorate Of Film Festivals". Archived from the original on 28 May 2015.
11. "4th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
12. Eenadu Daily, Eenadu Sunday – 28 April 2013, 100 years of Indian Cinema, Early Tollywood, Page 9
13. "News18.com: CNN-News18 Breaking News India, Latest News, Current News Headlines". News18. Archived from the original on 24 April 2013.
14. "Giant of Silver screen - A Photo biography of S. V. Ranga Rao". The Hindu.
15. "Nandi Awards - 1967 - Winners & Nominees".
16. Cite error: The named reference auto1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
17. Narasimham, M.L. (13 May 2015). "Velugu Needalu (1961)". The Hindu. Retrieved 16 May 2016.

• 1918 births
• 1974 deaths
• Telugu male actors
• Male actors in Tamil cinema
• Recipients of the Rashtrapati Award
• Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners
• Telugu film directors
• Nandi Award winners
• 20th-century Indian film directors
• 20th-century Indian male actors
• People from Krishna district
• Male actors from Andhra Pradesh
• Indian male film actors
• Male actors in Telugu cinema
• Telugu film producers
• Film directors from Andhra Pradesh
• Film producers from Andhra Pradesh