Veteran actress and producer C Krishnaveni passes away at 100

Her contributions to the Telugu film industry remain significant, leaving behind a lasting legacy.

Hyderabad: Veteran actress and producer Chittajallu Krishnaveni, widely known as C. Krishnaveni, passed away on Sunday, February 16, at the age of 100.

Born on December 24, 1924, in Pangidi, West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, Krishnaveni started her career as a drama artist before entering the film industry. She made her debut as a child artist in the 1936 film Sati Anasuya. After her family moved to Chennai, she received several acting offers in Telugu and Tamil films.

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At the age of 15, she married Mirzapuram Raja, the Zamindar of Mirzapuram, in 1939. She later took over her husband’s production company, Sobhanachala Studios in Chennai, where she introduced many legendary actors to the film industry.

She played a major role in launching the careers of legendary actor Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (Sr. NTR) and versatile singer Ghantasala Balaramayya with Mana Desam, which was based on the Bengali novel Vipradas. Another renowned actor, Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR), was also introduced to her through Keelugurram.

Some of her notable films as an actress include Malli Pelli (1939), Bhakta Prahlada (1942), Bhishma (1944), Brahma Ratham (1947), and Gollabhama (1947). She also formed her own production company, MRA Productions—named after her daughter, Meka Pajyalakshmi Anuradha—in addition to managing her husband’s studio.

Besides acting and producing, Krishnaveni was also a singer. She was the first to render the iconic Annamacharya Keerthana ‘Jo Achyutananda Jojo Mukunda’ on the Telugu screen and also sang ‘Bhupathi Champithin’ from Gollabhama.

Her contributions to the Telugu film industry remain significant, leaving behind a lasting legacy.