Kota Srinivasa Rao: 'Don't pay heed to rumours, I'm doing well,' says veteran actor

Many were shocked to wake up to the sad news of veteran Telugu actor Kota Srinivas's passing. Soon enough, the topic would gain a lot of traction and begin to trend on social media with a few other reports claiming that he was actually alive but critically ill. 

Turns out, neither of the reports had an iota of truth and eventually, Kota Srinivasa Rao himself to had to release a video message to ward off the rumours and request everyone to not believe in the morbid rumours.

"I have received at least 50 calls since morning, my family members a few more. I have lost count. What's most surprising is that a team of 10 policemen reached my house earlier today, saying that since I was a well-known personality, they feared that people would come over in large numbers, including celebrities, and added that they were here to offer security. So, I plead with everyone to not believe these rumours and in turn, if the public can condemn these kinds of acts, the culprits will be taught a lesson. There are several ways to make money out there but one shouldn't play with a person's life," said the legendary actor, who was evidently shaken by the turn of events.

Kota Srinivasa Rao has acted in more than 750 films to date and is arguably one of the most prolific and versatile actors to ever grace the silver screen. His career has spanned close to five decades which include several acting credits in not Telugu cinema but also Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada. He has also functioned as a dubbing artist on several occasions, most notably for Tamil actors Goudamani and Manivannan for Telugu dubbed versions of films like Gentleman, Indian, Padayappa and Sivaji: The Boss. The 75-year-old actor was awarded Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in India, in 2015.