Veteran Telugu film editor Goutham Raju passes away at 68, worked in over 800 films

The demise of the ace technician, who worked on films like Race Gurram, Khaidi No. 150, Gabbar Singh, leaves behind a huge void in the industry

Goutham Raju

Barely a day after Telugu cinema lost one of its more revered journalists Gudipoodi Srihari, the industry needs to come to terms with another shocking death - of a veteran, ace technician Goutham Raju. Editor Goutham Raju was 68 and breathed his last at 1.30 am at his residence. He was undergoing a treatment for an ailment and was discharged only on Tuesday. His situation got more critical during the night.

Goutham Raju enjoyed a great association with the biggest names in the fraternity as long as he was active and has experienced every high one could imagine in a career as a technician in the film industry. Working on over 800 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi since four decades, his legacy as an editor shall remain unmatched. Goutham Raju's career took off with Chiranjeevi's Chattaniki Kallu Levu in 1981 and he worked on some of the finest films, critically acclaimed and commercial successes in his time.

A few of his other popular works include Ananda Bhairavi (1983), Thalapathi (1991), Brahma (1992), Sooryavansham (1999), Ammayi Kosam (2001), Chenna Kesava Reddy (2002), Dil (2003), Athanokkade (2005), Lakshmi (2006) and Don Seenu (2010). He had also won the Nandi Award as the Best Editor for Jr. Ntr's film Aadi in 2002.

Some of his recent releases were Khaidi No 150 (2017), Gabbar Singh (2012), Race Gurram (2014), Adhurs (2010), Okka Ammayi Thappa (2016), Katamarayudu (2017), Touch Chesi Chudu (2018), Mosagallu (2021) and Son of India (2022). His skill came through in how he didn't let the film's narrative suffer while also giving space to the distinctive directorial touches. He was a go-to man for commercial cinema and had a terrific understanding of an average viewer's mindset.

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