Suthivelu

Biography:

Suthi Velu, the stage name of Kurumaddali Lakshmi Narasimha Rao (7 August 1947 – 16 September 2012), was an Indian actor and comedian best known for his roles in Telugu films. He has appeared in almost 200 movies and received four state Nandi Awards.

Father of Suthi Velu was a teacher. He was drawn to drama from a young age, and he soon became interested in acting. He subsequently made the decision to pursue acting professionally. He had performed on stage in his hometown when he was just seven years old. His father advised him against acting and asked him to hide his passion in it. He made his acting debut in Mudda Mandaaram (1981) and went on to star in numerous of Jandhyala’s films, which helped him achieve fame.

Suthivelu’s comedy spanned from 1980 to 2000 in Tollywood. He is famous for timing his dialogues and expressions, particularly in director Jandhyala’s comedy films. His collaboration with Suthi Veerabhadra Rao is very popular and the duo was nicknamed Suthi Janta. During his childhood, he was very lean, so one of his neighbours Jaanakamba used to call him Velu (meaning finger in Telugu). His name in the film Nalugu Stambhalata (1982) is Gurnadham. After the success of Nalugu Stambhalata, people started calling him Suthi Velu. He also acted in Popular Telugu comedy serials such as Anandobrahma on Doordarshan and Lady Detective on ETV.

Suthi Velu was married to Lakshmi Rajyam, and have four children, three girls and a boy. He died of cardiac arrest at his residence on 16 September 2012.