Telugu actress Chittajallu Krishnaveni passed away on February 16 at the age of 100 due to age-related ailments. She was a pioneer in the Telugu film industry with a career spanning over eight decades.
The late actress began her career as a child artist in 1936 with the film Sati Anasuya. N.T Rama Rao made his acting debut with Krishnaveni’s 1949 film Mana Desam where she also served as a producer. Some of her other notable films include Bhishma, Malli Pelli, Bhakta Prahlada, Gollabhama and the Tamil film Kaamavalli.
She married a Mirzapuram landlord who was the head of Shobhanachala Studios. Eventually, the actress took charge of managing the studio. Besides launching Rama Rao, Krishnaveni also launched the careers of music director Ramesh Naidu, sinher P. Leela and composer Ghantasala.
Beyond acting, she was also a singer who became the first one to sing Jo Achyutananda Jojo Mukunda, an Annamayya Keerthana on the Telugu screen.
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