Actor and Tollywood comedian Kolluri Chidambara Rao, popularly known as “Kallu” Chidambaram, died at a private hospital here on Monday. He had been suffering from a respiratory ailment.
He was 67 and is survived by wife, two sons and two daughters. Chidambaram made his screen debut with “Kallu” based on noted writer Gollapudi Maruti Rao’s play-let and directed by cinematographer M. V. Raghu in 1987. He went on to win a Nandi award for his performance in the film. He acted in comic roles in more than 300 films including April 1 Vidudala, Aa Okkati Adakku, Govinda Govinda, Jambalakadipamba and Money, Money, Money.
He retired as an assistant engineer in Visakhapatnam Port Trust and mostly acted in films shot in and around Visakhapatnam.
Drawn to the theatre right from his school days, he acted in 36 plays and play-lets. In 2008 he had founded a federation of artistes, Sakala Kalakalrula Samakhya, for the welfare of artistes and for sometime organized monthly programmes.