Kasturi Siva Rao | |
|---|---|
 Screenshot of Rao | |
| Born | March 6, 1913 |
| Died | February 24, 1966 (aged 52) Tenali, Andhra Pradesh |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Spouse | Shakuntala Kasturi |
| Children | Three Sons and Four Daughters |
| Parents |
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Kasturi Siva Rao (6 March 1913 - 24 February 1966) was an Indian actor, comedian, playback singer, producer and director known for his works in Telugu cinema. He was one of the first star comedians of Telugu cinema.[1][2][3]
Kasturi Siva Rao started his career in the film industry as a movie narrator for the silent films produced at that time. Besides providing commentary, he was also a projector operator and had a unique humor to his fame. Theaters would advertise films as having "commentary by Siva Rao".[2][3] He became an actor with the film Vara Vikrayam in 1939 and shot into the limelight with Chudamani in 1941. B N Reddy's Swarga Seema in 1945 and Balaraju in 1948 catapulted him to stardom.[4]
He became a lead actor with the film Gunasundari Katha in 1949, in which he played the role of a cursed prince. The film became a huge hit and his mannerisms and dialogue were so popular that people started conversing in the same tone. He owned a Buick, which was a rare possession, and whenever people saw the car on roads they used to swarm the car and run along with it. Kasturi Siva Rao later on became a producer and director with the film Paramanandayya Sishyulu in the year 1950.[4]