Biography

Samarla Venkata Ranga Rao (July 3, 1918 – July 18, 1974), known professionally as S. V. Ranga Rao or S.V.R., was an Indian actor, director, and producer who worked predominantly in Telugu and Tamil cinema. After early work on stage and an initial film appearance in *Varudhini* (1946), he gained widespread recognition as the sorcerer Nepala Manthrikudu in the fantasy swashbuckler *Pathala Bhairavi* (1951). Over the 1950s and 1960s, he became a central character actor and antagonist across South Indian cinema, playing major roles in the social comedy *Missamma* (1955), the historical drama *Tenali Ramakrishna* (1956), the fantasy film *Mayabazar* (1957), and the comedy *Gundamma Katha* (1962). For his portrayal of Keechaka in the mythological film *Narthanasala* (1963), he won the Best Actor Award at the 3rd Afro-Asian Film Festival in Jakarta. In addition to Telugu cinema, Ranga Rao worked extensively in Tamil productions, with prominent roles in *Annai* (1962), *Karpagam* (1963), *Enga Veettu Pillai* (1965), and the historical biographical film *Kappalottiya Thamizhan* (1961). In the late 1960s, he expanded into directing and producing, helming the social dramas *Chadarangam* (1967) and *Bandhavyalu* (1968), both of which won Nandi Awards. His later screen appearances included *Dasara Bullodu* (1971), *Sampoorna Ramayanam* (1972), *Tata Manavadu* (1973), and *Andaru Dongale* (1974), concluding with the posthumously released devotional feature *Yashoda Krishna* (1975).