When even the daring Superstar Krishna felt fear

Ghattamaneni Krishna, fondly known as Superstar Krishna, built his career on courage. He was a fearless innovator who constantly pushed boundaries in Telugu cinema. From introducing the first full-length Cinemascope film and the first 70mm film to popularizing spy thrillers and cowboy westerns, Krishna was always willing to take risks that others avoided.

His daring personality extended beyond filmmaking. He never hesitated to compete with towering stars of his era, including N.T. Rama Rao. Yet, there was one phase in his illustrious career when even Krishna feared for his future.
The turning point came with the release of “Alluri Seetarama Raju” in 1974. The film became a sensational blockbuster and remains one of the greatest classics in Telugu cinema. Ironically, its phenomenal success created an unexpected problem for Krishna.

Recalling those days, Krishna once shared an interesting anecdote involving legendary writer-producer Chakrapani.

“After the release of ‘Alluri Seetarama Raju,’ Chakrapani garu expressed a desire to watch the film. I arranged a special print for him. After seeing it, he called me to his house and asked how many producers were making films with me. I told him that five or six films were already under production,” Krishna recalled.

What Chakrapani said next left him stunned.

“He told me that all of them would lose money. Shocked, I asked whether he didn’t like the film. He replied, ‘No, it is a great film. That is exactly the problem. Audiences have been mesmerized by your portrayal of Alluri Seetarama Raju. They may not accept you in ordinary roles anymore.'”

As it turned out, Chakrapani’s prediction proved alarmingly accurate. More than a dozen Krishna films failed one after another.

“After nearly 12 consecutive flops, I began to feel that Chakrapani garu had been right. Audiences were not accepting me in regular characters after seeing me as Alluri Seetarama Raju,” Krishna said.

Faced with what he described as an existential crisis, Krishna decided to take matters into his own hands. He selected a story rooted in rural life and personally oversaw the project. That film was “Paadi Pantalu.”

The film was completed in a single schedule and planned for a Sankranti 1976 release. However, many advised him against the move.

“My well-wisher Chandrasekhar Rao garu strongly opposed releasing it during Sankranti. NTR’s ‘Vemulawada Bheemakavi,’ ANR’s ‘Mahakavi Kshetrayya,’ and Sobhan Babu’s ‘Picchi Maraju’ were all arriving for the festival. He told me I had already suffered enough losses and should avoid competing with such big releases. He suggested postponing it to February.”

Krishna, however, refused to back down.

“I felt it was a do-or-die situation. Whether I survived in the industry or not, I was determined to release the film for Pongal. I went ahead with my decision.”

His gamble paid off spectacularly. While the other festival releases underperformed, “Paadi Pantalu” emerged as a major success and ran for 25 weeks, reviving his career.

That episode perfectly encapsulates what made Superstar Krishna unique. Even during the most uncertain phase of his life, when fear had begun to creep in, he relied on the same quality that defined his career: the courage to take risks when others would retreat.