Veteran actress C. Krishnaveni passes away

Veteran actress and producer Chittajallu Krishnaveni, widely known as C. Krishnaveni, is no more. She breathed her last on Sunday, February 16. She was 101.

Krishnaveni, born on December 24, 1924, in Pangidi, West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, commenced her career as a child artist in the 1936 film “Sati Anasuya.”

In 1939, she wed Mirzapuram Raja. Subsequently, she assumed control of her husband’s production firm, Sobhanachala Studios, in Madras (now Chennai).

She was known for introducing Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR) to the film industry with their production “Mana Desam” (Mana Desam). She also introduced Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao as music director and P. Leela as playback singer. 

Her famous films as an actress comprise Malli Pelli (1939), Bhakta Prahlada (1942), Bhishma (1944), Brahma Ratham (1947), and Gollabhama (1947). She established her own production firm, MRA Productions—named after her daughter, Meka Pajyalakshmi Anuradha—while also overseeing her husband’s studio.

In addition to acting and producing, Krishnaveni was also a vocalist. She was the first singer of the renowned Annamacharya Keerthana’s “Jo Achyutananda Jojo Mukunda” on the Telugu screen.