Legendary Telugu actor Kota Srinivas Rao, who appeared in more than 750 films and won numerous awards in his illustrious career, passed away at the age of 83 at his residence in Film Nagar Hyderabad on Sunday morning due to ill-health. Kota has been suffering with age related health issues from the past few years. He is survived by two daughters and his wife. His son died in 2010 in a road accident.

Kota Srinivas Rao is one of the most versatile artists Indian film industry has ever produced. He made his acting debut in 1978 with Telugu movie Pranam Khareedu and went on to feature in hundreds of films in different languages during the last four and half decades. For his distinguished contribution to the art of cinema, Kota was conferred with Padma Sri by the government of India in 2015. He also bagged 9 Nandi awards for his iconic roles in Telugu films. He also received SIIMA awards and was lavished with the prestigious Allu Ramalingaiah Puraskaram.

Kota Srinivas shared screen with almost all popular actors of Tollywood from the older generation to the current era. He was the go-to artist for villainous roles from 80s to 2000s. Some of his iconic performances are from films like Ganesh, Hello Brother, Siva, Gayam, Aha Naa Pellanta, Pratighatana, Repati Pourulu, Anaganaga Oka Roju, Athadu, Gabbar Singh, Idiot, Aa Naluguru etc to name a few. He is one of the rarest actors who slipped into diverse characters with ease and delivered commendable performances.

Kota Srinivas had a brief stint with politics and served as the Member of Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2004 for the BJP. He won from Vijayawada East constituency.

Telugu film industry mourns the loss of a great thespian and the void left by him will be unfilled in the near future. Telugu360 expresses its profound condolences to his family.