Burripalem mourns the demise of Superstar Krishna

Krishna was known in his village for his charity, and his son Mahesh Babu also followed in his footsteps by adopting the village

Relatives, friends, well-wishers and fans of popular Telugu actor Ghattamaneni Sivarama Krishna — popularly known as Superstar Krishna — gathered at his house in his native village Burripalem near Tenali in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, following his sudden demise. The village shot to fame after Krishna acted in a film Burripalem Bullodu in 1979, directed by Beeram Mastan Rao, which also had a popular song, “Burripalem Bullivadni”.

Krishna was known in the village for his charity. Speaking to The Hindu, Krishna’s son-in-law Kishore Sakamuri said that Krishna constructed a function hall, a high school, a temple, a Geeta mandir and others for the villagers. He further explained that Krishna’s son, actor Mahesh Babu, adopted the village and has overseen its development.

Mahesh Babu issued health cards to all the villagers of Burripalem, using which they have been availing medical facilities for free at Andhra hospitals. When there was a cyclone, Krishna provided food for all the victims in the region, Mr. Kishore said. Though Krishna and his family members did not live in this village, the veteran actor had many friends and relatives in Burripalem.

Dharmarao Ummalaneni, 64, who had a long association with Krishna said that he used to meet the superstar whenever he visited the village. He said that Krishna got film opportunities as early as 22. When Krishna, along with seven others, went to Chennai for auditions, he was the only one who got selected for a movie. It was then that his film career kicked off and he acted in a lead role in more than 360 films.

Mr. Ummalaneni noted that N. T. Rama Rao, another popular Telugu actor, supported Krishna during his early days.