Veteran actor Kota Srinivasa Rao passes away at 83 in Hyderabad

Renowned Telugu actor and former MLA Kota Srinivasa Rao passed away on Sunday at the age of 83. He breathed his last at his residence in Hyderabad, leaving behind a legacy spanning over four decades in Indian cinema. Known for his impeccable performances across genres, Rao had acted in more than 750 films in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, and Malayalam. His versatility allowed him to portray a wide range of roles—from iconic villains to memorable character roles. Films like Pratighatana, Aha Naa Pellanta, Shiva, and Mahatma cemented his reputation as one of Telugu cinema’s finest actors. Born in Vijayawada, Kota Srinivasa Rao began his professional life as a banker and theatre artist before entering films in the late 1970s. Over the years, he became a beloved figure in the industry, earning accolades including the Padma Shri in 2015 for his contribution to the arts.5 Apart from acting, Rao was active in politics and served as an MLA from the Vijayawada East constituency from 1999 to...

Actor Michele Austin: ‘Mike Leigh has a wicked sense of humour’

The co-star of Leigh’s latest film, Hard Truths, on ​h​er bond with the director, portraying mental health issues and ​why she’s loving the awards circuit

Born in London, Michele Austin trained at Rose Bruford College before beginning a wide-ranging career on television, film and stage. She was Yvonne Hemmingway in The Bill for three years from 2003, and more recently starred opposite Ben Whishaw as straight-talking midwife Tracy in This Is Going to Hurt on BBC One. On stage, most recently Austin appeared in Jamie Lloyd’s production of Cyrano and in his revival of Lucy Prebble’s The Effect at the National Theatre. She has worked with director Mike Leigh five times, most notably in 1996’s Palme d’Or-winning Secrets and Lies, and has now been nominated for several awards for her role as Chantelle, the loving sister of Marianne Jean-Baptiste’s character Pansy in Leigh’s latest film, Hard Truths. She is married to Nick Stafford, who adapted War Horse for the stage. They have two children.

When did you first work with Mike Leigh?
It was my second or third job in a play called It’s A Great Big Shame at Stratford East. Luckily for me, because I was fresh out of drama school, I didn’t know how important he was. He asked me to do something, and it seemed to me quite simple. A lot of people mess up when they meet him because they want to do something impressive. He’s very clear: don’t do anything interesting. I met Marianne at the same time. We played sisters then too. After that I played her friend in Secrets and Lies and we’ve remained friends. To do Hard Truths 30 years on has been so special.

Continue reading...

from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/FGbYNMk
via IFTTT

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

BREAKING: Interstellar back in cinemas due to public demand; Dune: Part Two to also re-release on March 14 in IMAX

EXCLUSIVE: Mona Singh gears up for an intense role in an upcoming web series; Deets inside!

The Fans Were Silent As 64-Year-Old Sharon Stone Appeared Topless