Mallikarjuna Rao

Mallikarjuna Rao Biography

Mallikarjuna Rao was a popular comedian and character artist associated with Telugu cinema. His role as Battala Satti in the film Ladies Tailor is one of his memorable roles and he was often called by the tag - Battala Satti by his fans. In a career spanning to more than a quarter decade, he gave life to more than 375 Telugu movies, apart from a few Tamil and Malayalam language films. Apart from Ladies tailor, his best performances include - Hello Brother, Tammudu and Badri, where he excelled in his role as a comedian. Telugu actor-writer Tanikella Bharani treats Mallikarjuna Rao as his guru. Noted comedian L. B. Sriram was introduced to Vamsi by this renowned artist.

Rao was born in 1951 in Anakapalle of Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh. He started his film career in 1973 portraying small roles. After spending more than one decade in the industry, Vamsi’s Ladies tailor released in the year 1985 was his career breakthrough. His role as cloth vendor in the comedy film earned him popularity as well as critics’ appreciation. There was no turning back after that and since then he received numerous comic roles. He has acted in more than 375 movies. Thammudu earned him Nandi award for best comedian.

In 1994, he acted in the movie - Hello Brother. His chemistry with Kota Srinivasa Rao are known for some hilarious comedy scenes, which audience remember till now. This movie was quite different from his previous acting styles. Apart from films he has also worked for television, mostly portraying comic roles. Appu Chesi Pappu Koodu for Doordarshan is one of his memorable roles. He served as secretary of Telugu Desam Party's cultural wing, and was the general secretary of Telugu Movie Artists Association. He passed away in Hyderabad in 2008.

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Updated: January 31, 2016