Veteran Telugu actor Kota Srinivas Rao passes away at 83

The Hindu

13-07-2025

Veteran Telugu actor Kota Srinivas Rao, who gave a new style to villainous and comedy roles, passed away in the early hours of Sunday (July 13, 2025) at his residence in Hyderabad. He was 83.
A former BJP MLA from Vijayawada, the senior actor, popularly known as Kota, was unwell due to age-related issues for the past few months.
With a career spanning over four decades, Kota acted in more than 750 films and left his indelible mark in comedy, villainous, and character artist roles. His unique dialogue delivery in Telangana slang made him a household name.
The actor began his journey as a theatre artist and later transitioned into films. Though born in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, he used the Telangana dialect with brilliance to make a name for himself. He shot to fame with his portrayal of a politician in the award-winning film 'Prathighatana', where he played a villainous comedian role with unparalleled conviction and finesse.
With his comedy in 'Aha Naa Pellanta' he reached new peaks and none can forget his memorable dialogues from Ramgopal Verma's 'Gaayam' that are the favourites of meme creators even now.
Inspired by his friend and coactor Babu Mohan, he took plunge into politics and won from Vijawayada constituency in the combined Andhra Pradesh from the BJP ticket and served as MLA from 1999-2004. Later, he concentrated on films realising that politics was not his cup of tea.
Kota was conferred the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2015, and he also received numerous awards from State governments and film associations. An outspoken man, he was deeply distressed when his son passed away in a road accident and he was a shattered man since then. For the last few years, he hardly did any film assignments, confining himself to home due to age-related issues.
His contribution to Telugu cinema is immeasurable and he will have his own page in the Telugu film industry for infusing freshness into comedy and character roles during his period.
Condolences
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, BRS chief and former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and state BJP president N. Ramachander Rao condoled his death describing that the industry lost an actor par excellence.