Gollapudi Srinivas

Late Gollapudi Srinivas Rao is a Telugu director born on March 3, 1966. He is the heir of famous Telugu actor, writer, and director Gollapudi Maruthi Rao. He has a brother, Subbarao. There was no surprise that Srinivas was also traveling along the same path as his father. He wanted to become a director, and he got this opportunity at the tender age of 26. The stage was all set for his debut movie in Telugu, which was titled Prema Pusthakam that had Ajith Kumar Ajith Kumar is a prominent Tamil film actor, model >> Read More... in its lead role. The shooting was scheduled in August 1992. On August 12, 1992, a huge tidal wave in Vishakapatnam beach washed away the young filmmaker. He was declared dead after succumbing to serious injuries during this water accident.

The wave produced shockwaves among his family members and the Telugu Industry. The budding talent was not even one film old, but his fate had other plans for him. The film got delayed and then the remaining of the movie was completed by his father Maruthi Rao and released in 1993.

The death led to the distribution of the Gollapudi Srinivas Award to promising debutants of Indian cinema. In 1997, Maruthi Rao family established the Gollapudi Srinivas Memorial Foundation at Chennai and provided the Gollapudi Srinivas Award with an annual cash award of Rs. 1.5 Lakhs. Every year, the award ceremony is celebrated on August 12th. The award distribution is followed by special lectures by famous artists.