Renowned Telugu actor Chandra Mohan passed away at 9.45 am today at a hospital in Hyderabad. He was suffering from heart-related issues. He was 82. He is survived by his wife Jalandhara and two daughters. Chandra Mohan made his acting debut with the 1966 Telugu film 'Rangula Ratnam' and hasn't looked back ever since. Reacting to his sudden demise, veteran producer and cinematographer S Gopal Reddy, says: “I am in utter shock and I have few words to express my grief on his sudden demise. Definitely, the Telugu film industry lost one of the most talented actors and this void would be difficult to fill.”
He claims that Chandra Mohan was one of his best friends in the industry. “Our friendship started during the days of ‘Rangula Ratnam’ in 1966 and our bonding strengthened over decades. Firstly, he is a great human being. A very jovial and friendly person,” he adds. He also claimed that Chandra Mohan stayed back in Chennai while other actors moved to Hyderabad. “He loved the city of Madras and had also invested there so he didn’t move to Hyderabad like many of us,” he points out.
Despite his relatively shorter height in comparison to other top heroes of the day like superstar Krishna and Shobhan Babu, he could rule the roost in the 70s and 80s as a leading man. “His immense talent helped him to overcome his height issues and he played various roles with ease. He was a very professional and dedicated actor. He proved his acting brilliance in films like ‘Siri Siri Muvva’, ‘Seethamalakshmi’ and ‘Radha Kalyanam.’ and also bagged awards. As he played husband in many films like ‘Ilantha Sandadi’, ‘Nenu Maaavida’ and ‘Korikale Gurallaithe’, he was hailed as a perfect middle-class husband on screen. Later, he became very busy as a character artiste and did an interesting role in our production ‘Rakhi’ and showcased his impeccable talent,” points out Gopal Reddy.
Talking about his character roles, famed writer and producer Kona Venkat describes him as a ‘lucky charm’ for many top heroines and also for himself in ‘Dhee’. “As he played a key role in my film ‘Dhee’, its big success changed the course of my career. Our combination delivered many other blockbusters like ‘Dhookudu’ and ‘Badshah”. “Film audiences would be surely missing a lovable, charming uncle and grandpa on screen,” he informs and adds, “Many heroines reached the pinnacle of success after debuting with him. Top heroines like Sridevi, Jayapradha and Jayasudha began their career with him. Later, they went on to conquer Bollywood and became national stars, that is the impact of his good luck,” he points out.
Kona Venkat claims that Chandra Mohan was one of few actors who had fulfilling professional and personal lives in the film industry. “He was quite fortunate in that aspect and very few actors could boast of it. He got the best of roles and rocked in the industry, on the other hand, his family life was also wonderful too. He was able to strike a proper balance between work and life. No doubt, we will be missing his charming smile and wit on the big screen,” he concludes.
