Raavi Kondala rao has a special place in yesteryear Telugu Cinema. Though he earned a good name as an actor, dramatist and a newspaper editor, he came to the film industry aspiring to become a director. He gained valuable experience while he worked under Kamalakara Kameshwara Rao as Assistant director. If he had continued to work in the same department, we wouldn’t know what would have happened but in one film Raavi Kondala Rao had to act. This happened in unexpected circumstances! Even after becoming an actor, he continued to be a writer and director but eventually turned acting into his full time profession! For a person like him who was behind the camera till then, in what situation he had to make a debut as an actor forms an interesting story. iQlikmovies.com brings you the exclusive story of the multi-faceted Raavi Kondala Rao’s acting debut!
1958. It was when Ponnuluri Brothers production house was filming a film named Shobha in Madras. The film starred Sr.NTR, Anjali Devi, Rajasulochana, Relangi and Ramana Reddy in the lead roles. Kamalakara Kameshwara Rao who earned the title Pournika Brahma was directing this social drama film. The film had a small character role of a doctor with few dialogues. The director selected a character artist for the same. The assistant director of the film Raavi Kondala Rao briefed the actor about the role, handed him over the script and made him rehearse the dialogues. Without stopping there, Raavi Kondala Rao explained how to act for the scene by describing the expressions as well and sent the actor in front of the camera.
When the director said “Action!” the character actor forgot his lines and was looking helplessly around. Takes went on and on, and the reel was getting wasted- but the shot was not coming out well! If any other director were there in that scene, he would have become very angry on the actor. But Kamalakar Kameshwara Rao, who was known for his patience and calmness, also got angry with the situation! He looked exasperatedly around the assistant director Raavi Kondala Rao, who made the actor rehearse the scene several times and said, “See, Kondala Rao...I don’t think this guy can finish off the scene well. You please get the makeup done and act as a doctor in this scene!” Obeying his director’s orders, Raavi Kondala Rao hurriedly got the make-up as the doctor and got ready for the scene. He performed well and the scene was Okayed in the first take!
After the valuable advice of senior mentors like Guttha Ramineedu, Raavi Kondala Rao became a full time actor. With the writing brilliance of writers like Mullapudi Venkata Ramana and Bhamidipaati Radhakrisha, he adorned many comedy roles. While working as an editor in a magazine called “Vijaya Chitra”, he simultaneously acted in many Telugu films.
