HYDERABAD: Legendary actor Kaikala Satyanarayana passed away at a private hospital in Hyderabad in the wee hours on Friday. He has been suffering from age-related ailments and breathed his last on Friday morning. The 87 year-old actor was survived by two daughters and two sons.
Actor, producer and a director, Kaikala started his career with the film Sipayi Koothuru (1959). His close resemblance to NTR was the talking point back then. As such, Kaikala started his acting career as a body double to NTR in a few films before the latter himself offered Kaikala a role in Apoorva Sahasra Siraccheda Chintamani in (1960).
But it was filmmaker B. Vittalacharya who cast Kaikala in a negative role in Kanaka Durga Pooja Mahima (1960). Since then, Kaikala never looked back and went on to appear in more than 760 films in various capacities including support cast and antagonist. Kaikala established Rama Films production house and bankrolled films like Kodama Simham, Bangaru Kutumbam, Iddaru Dongalu, Gaja Donga, etc.
A recipient of several awards including Raghupathi Venkaiah Award (2011), Kaikala was elected as a Member of Parliament from the Machilipatnam constituency in the 11th Lok Sabha elections in 1996. He was part of the Telugu Desam Party.
Kaikala last appeared in Mahesh Babu-starrer Maharshi (2019).
