Kurumaddali Lakshmi Narasimha Rao (7 August 1947 – 16 September 2012), better known by his stage name Suthi Velu, was an Indian actor and comedian known for his works in

Telugu cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, ...

. He has acted in more than 200 films, and won four state

Nandi Awards The Nandi Awards are the awards that recognise the excellence in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre and Telugu television, and Lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. Presented annually by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the award is named after ...

Early life

Suthi Velu's father was a teacher. From an early age he was interested in drama and also developed an interest in acting. He then decided to take up acting seriously. At the age of 7, he had given a stage performance in his town. His father discouraged him and asked him not to show interest in acting. He started his film career with ''Mudda Mandaaram'' (1981), and acted in many of Jandhyala's films, which made him famous.

Career

Suthivelu's comedy spanned from 1980 to 2000 in Tollywood. He is famous for timing his dialogues and expressions, particularly in director

Jandhyala Jandhyala Subrahmanya Sastry (14 January 1951 – 19 June 2001), known mononymously by his surname Jandhyala, was an Indian film director, screenwriter, playwright, and actor known for his works in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He is popu ...

's comedy films. His collaboration with Suthi Veerabhadra Rao is very popular and the duo was nicknamed ''Suthi Janta''. During his childhood, he was very lean, so one of his neighbours Jaanakamba used to call him Velu (meaning finger in Telugu). His name in the film '' Nalugu Stambhalata'' (1982) is Gurnadham. After the success of Nalugu Stambhalata, people started calling him Suthi Velu. He also acted in Popular Telugu comedy serials such as ''Anandobrahma'' on Doordarshan and ''Lady Detective'' on ETV.

Personal life

Suthi Velu was married to Lakshmi Rajyam, and have four children, three girls and a boy. He died of cardiac arrest at his residence on 16 September 2012.

Awards

;

(in Telugu) * Best Supporting Actor –

Vande Mataram ''Vande Mataram'' (Sanskrit: वन्दे मातरम् IAST: , also spelt ''Bande Mataram''; বন্দে মাতরম্, ''Bônde Mātôrôm''; ) is a poem written in sanskritised Bengali by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in th ...

(1985) * Best Male Comedian - Devalayam (1985) * Best Male Comedian - Geethanjali (1989) * Best Male Comedian -

Master Kapuram ''Master Kapuram'' is a 1990 Telugu-language drama film, produced by Vijay and Y. T. Naidu under the Sri Gayathri Kala Chitra banner and directed by P. N. Ramachandra Rao. It stars Rajendra Prasad, Gayatri and music composed by Raj–Koti. T ...

(1990)

Filmography

References

External links

* {{Authority control 20th-century Indian male actors Male actors in Telugu cinema 1947 births Telugu comedians 2012 deaths Indian male comedians Indian male film actors Nandi Award winners People from Krishna district Male actors from Andhra Pradesh 21st-century Indian male actors