Hyderabad: Veteran film producer and founder of Suresh Productions Daggubati Ramanaidu lost his long battle with cancer on Wednesday. He was 78.
The Telugu film industry predictably reacted with shock and grief at the passing of this very successful producer.
Very few know that Ramanaidu held a Guinness world record for producing as many as 150 films in 13 Indian languages.
Ramanaidu received the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, from the Government of India in 2012 for his contribution to Telugu cinema. In 2009, Ramanaidu was conferred the Dada Saheb Phalke award for lifetime achievement in the film industry.
Besides films, the producer also had a successful political career. He was a member of the Telugu Desam Party, and had represented Baptala constituency in Guntur District in the 13th Lok Sabha from 1999–2004.
The producer also owned a charitable trust and contributed a substantial part of his earnings to philanthropic activities. He had opened the Ramanaidu Charitable Trust in 1991, for the upliftment of the economically weak.
Ramanaidu is survived by wife Rajeswari, sons Suresh Babu Daggubati (producer), Venkatesh Daggubati (actor) and daughter Lakshmi.
