Chilakalapudi Seeta Rama Anjaneyulu

C. S. R.
File:323 CSR02.JPG
Born	Chilakalapudi Seeta Rama Anjaneyulu (1907-07-11)July 11, 1907 Chilakalapudi, Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh
Died
Ethnicity	Telugu
Occupation	Actor Thespian
Years active	1932-1962

Chilakalapudi Seeta Rama Anjaneyulu (11 July 1907 – 8 October 1963), better known as C. S. R. Anjaneyulu or just CSR, was an Indian film method actor, and thespian best known for his works in Telugu cinema, and Telugu theater. He acted in many stage dramas and portrayed lead characters and mythological roles in over 175 movies. He was one of the lead actors of his time. Anjaneyulu was an established lead actor by the late 1930s, preceding the entrance of actors such as N.T.R. and A.N.R.. His performance in the super-hit Bhaktha Ramadasu in 1937 won him many accolades. In the 1950s, starting with Pathala Bhairavi screened at the first International Film Festival of India, he began acting in character roles. In Pathala Bhairavi, he plays a king worried about his daughter, a princess kidnapped by a wicked magician played by Ranga Rao.

He was noted for portraying mythological and historical roles such as Krishna, Ramadasu, Sarangadhara, Bhavani Sankar, Tukaram and Satyavantha. He also acted as Lord Venkateswara in Sri Venkateswara Mahatyam, one of director P. Pulliah's first successful films. In the 1953 film Devadasu, he portrayed an aged widower zamindar, alongside Savitri, who acts as his wife. His other acclaimed character roles include Sakuni (a character from Mahabharatha) in Mayabazar. His other acclaimed acting credits include Rojulu Marayi, Gruhapravesam, Illarikam, Kanyasulkam and Appu Chesi Pappu Koodu. His directorial credits include the 1939 allegorical melodrama, Jayapradha.

Early life

He was born on 11 July 1907 in a Telugu family at Chilakalapudi near Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh. His father was also actor. He later moved to Ponnur in Guntur district. After school final studies, he worked as a co-operative supervisor for some time. Instead of pursuing further studies, he choose to enter the field of drama. In a short time, he reached a position comparable to Sthanam Narasimha Rao, D. V. Subba Rao, Parupalli, Addanki and others.

He played Sri Krishna in Sri Krishna Tulabaram and Radhakrishna, Ramadas in Bhakta Ramadasu and Tukaram in Bhakta Tukaram, which got him wide recognition. He was also a natural singer, particularly in poems. He was a national activist. He directed and produced Patita Pavana, a drama on Untouchability. He contributed Rs.10,000 to the Indian National Army of Subhas Chandra Bose collected through donations by playing his Tukaram drama.

Personal life

He had two younger sisters and two younger brothers. One brother, C. S. Nageswara Rao, was the assistant director for movies including Suvarna Sundari, Gunasundari Katha and Mayabazar. Another brother, C. Venkata Rathnam (better known as C. V. Rathnam), was with Bharani Pictures & Studios and was the production manager for all the films produced by actress Bhanumathi Ramakrishna.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1932	Rama Paduka Pattabhishekam
1936	Draupadi Vastrapaharanam	Krishna
1938	Tukaram	Tukaram
1939	Jayapradha		Actor and Director of the film
	Balaji	Venkateswara
1941	Talliprema	Krishna Rao
	Choodamani	Madhusudhan
1942	Sumati
1945	Mayalokam
	Paduka Pattabhishekam	Sri Rama
1947	Ratnamala
1949	Jeevitham
1950	Paramanandayya Shishyula Katha	Paramanandayya
1951	Pathala Bhairavi	Malathi's Father; King of Ujjaini
1952	Pelli Chesi Choodu
	Prema
1953	Chandirani
	Devadasu
1954	Kanyadanam
	Chakrapani	Chakrapani
1955	Kanyasulkam	Ramappa Pantulu
	Rojulu Marayi	Zamindar Sagarayya
1956	Bhale Ramudu	Gumasta at the Zamindar
	Chiranjeevulu
1957	Bhagya Rekha
	Mayabazar	Sakuni
	Suvarna Sundari
1958	Appu Chesi Pappu Koodu	Rao Bahadur Ramadasu
1959	Illarikam	Govindayya
1960	Annapoorna
	Mahakavi Kalidasu
1961	Jagadeka Veeruni Katha	Badarayani Praggada
	Bhakta Kuchela	Kuchelan	Malayalam Cinema
1962	Chitti Tammudu	Ansari
1964	Bobbili Yudham	Lakshmanna