Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam (20 September 1954 – 7 December 2013) was a popular Indian actor, comedian and film director who worked 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 was established as one of the highly paid and top most leading comedians in Telugu film industry. Dharmavarapu had huge fan following among Telugu audience for his unique style and dialogue modulation. He hosted several popular television shows. Being close to Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Dharmavarapu was a member of the Indian National Congress and worked as chairman of Andhra Pradesh Cultural Association. Dharmavarapu has received two 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 af ...

for best male comedian for his roles in Alasyam Amrutham (2010) and Yagnam (2004).

Early life

Dharmavarapu was born in a Telugu Brahmin family at

Komminenivaripalem Komminenivaripalem is a village in Prakasam district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Ballikurava mandal A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries ...

in Prakasam district,

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to t ...

Career

Dharmavarapu originally worked as a government employee. He became popular through his comedy serial "Anando Brahma" which he both acted in and directed. It was aired on Doordarshan in the 1980s becoming a sensational hit show in

changing the trend of Television media in entertainment. His first film appearance was in the

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 ...

-directed '' Jayammu Nischayammu Raa'' in 1989. He was renowned for his comedy roles and flawless dialogue delivery. Later, he went on to act in various films with star heroes like Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna, Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna, Venkatesh, Mahesh Babu, Pawan Kalyan, Prabhas, Jr. NTR, Ram Charan, Allu Arjun, Ravi Teja. He also directed a Telugu film, ''Thokaleni Pitta'', starring Naresh in the lead produced by Kona Venkat. Dharmavarpu was a close knit to the then Chief Minister Late Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy and has been active in the

Congress party The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

. He hosted a political satire program 'Ding Dong' on Sakshi TV from 2011.

Death

Dharmavarapu died on 7 December 2013, after fighting liver cancer for several months.

Filmography

As an actor

As director

* ''Thokaleni Pitta'' * ''Aanando''

References

External links

* 1960 births 2013 deaths Telugu male actors Indian male comedians Nandi Award winners Telugu stand-up comedians Male actors in Telugu cinema Indian male film actors People from Prakasam district 20th-century Indian male actors Male actors from Andhra Pradesh 21st-century Indian male actors Telugu film directors Film directors from Andhra Pradesh {{India-actor-stub