Sthanam Narasimha Rao
| Sthanam Narasimha Rao | |
|---|---|
| Born |
23 September 1902 Bapatla, Andhra Pradesh  |
| Died | 21 February 1971 |
| Other names | Sthanam |
Sthanam Narasimha Rao popularly known as Sthanam (Telugu: స్థానం నరసింహారావు) (23 September 1902 - 21 February 1971) was a celebrated Telugu theatre and film actor. He was well known for playing stunning female characters and was a recipient of a Padma Sri Award.
Life sketch
He was born in 1902 at Bapatla of Guntur district to Hanumantha Rao and Ademma. He entered the theatre in 1920 and, rigorously trained by Veeraraghava Swamy, played for the Rama Vilasa Sabha of nearby Tenali. For nearly four decades (1924–60), he excelled in female characterization.
His depiction of the Sringara rasa as Satyabhama in Srikrishna tulabharam kept audiences spellbound. Equally enchanting performances in Roshanara, Deva Devi in Vipranarayana and the eponymous Chintamani made his place in Telugu theater permanent. His most memorable acting, however, was as Madhuravani in Gurajada Appa Rao`s comedy Kanyasulkam.
Sthanam had over 1,500 performances to his credit. His productions of classics on All India Radio include Kanyasulkam and Ganapati.
He acted in some Telugu films ("Radhakrishna" in 1939 and Satyabhama in 1941) and authored a book about his vast acting experience entitled, Natasthanam.
He was falicitated in Rangoon and gifted golden crown in 1938. His Sashtipoorti was grandly celebrated in 1962 at Hyderabad.
He died in 1971.
Awards
- He was recipient of Padma Shri from Government of India in 1956. He was the first person and artist from Andhra Pradesh to receive this award.
- He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Acting in 1961.
References
- Nata Ratnalu, Mikkilineni Radhakrishna Murthy, Second edition, 2002.
- Luminaries of 20th Century, Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, Hyderabad, 2005.