What Chiru, Balayya, Kamal Haasan said on Ramanaidu's death

Upon learning about the death of the doyen of Telugu cinema, several Tollywood personalities rushed to his residence on Wednesday to pay their last respects. Here are some of their reactions...

Kaikala Satyanarayana: He created history as a producer. He produced films cutting across all Indian languages and that itself is a unique achievement. He introduced several artistes and technicians who went on to make a mark for themselves. His contribution to the cinema industry is colossal. One example is the Ramanaidu studio which has world class facilities. He was a workaholic and didn’t know what being tired meant.

Dasari Narayana Rao: He was a great man who was fun to be around. In times when producing even 10 films is a tough task, he went on to produce more than 100 films. With all the greats leaving one by one, it makes me wonder if there will be a complete void left now. Also there’s a hope that the new generation will bring something better to the table.

Krishnam Raju: He may have left this world but will live in the hearts of all of us, his colleagues. He will be alive as long as the film industry exists.

Kamal Haasan: Calling him a Telugu producer would be very wrong as he was more of a national producer. Today many producers are making attempts to produce films in every language. But at times when not many ventured into film production of other languages, he was probably one of the only producers to explore such arenas. His loss is a great void to Indian cinema. He has left us a legacy, that I feel, will be carried out by his family members.

Chiranjeevi: For him, cinema was life. I had once asked him why he wasn’t retiring and he replied that cinema was something that would keep him going till his last breath. He further said it would be tough for him to live without it and he would feel that he had lost everything. I had a personal relationship with him that lasted for more than three decades.

Mohan Babu

He was a great filmmaker who produced many landmark Telugu films. He gave life to many actors and technicians. He was a stalwart who was a fatherly figure to many in the industry.

Nandamuri Balakrishna

The Telugu cinema industry has lost another iconic figure. After ‘Ramudu Bheemudu’ with my father, which was a super hit, he went on to produce several super hits like ‘Sri Krishna Tulabaram’. Even I had the privilege of working with him. He was a producer with great values. He was instrumental in introducing several new technicians and artistes. Moreover, he has the rare distinction of producing movies in all languages in the country which earned him a place in Guinness Book. His departure is a loss to the whole fraternity and I wish his soul rests in peace.

Kodandarami Reddy

He was one producer who used to be in the sets till the shoot wraps up for the day- even if it was midnight. If somebody was absent on the sets he would have done the work of that person. He was very passionate about films. He had zeal to achieve success. We can’t say that he left us… he is there somewhere with us.

R Narayanmurthy

He used to treat everyone, from big stars to junior artistes, equally. When I was in my struggling days he used to talk to me very politely and ask me if I had lunch or dinner. He made us sit with big stars when we used to eat. At the time of release of my films, he came to my rescue monetarily. If I went at 7 am or 12 am to him, he helped me a lot with many things in life. He achieved a lot in his career. May God bless his soul and his family!

Ram Charan

He was a role model, iconic producer of the Indian film industry and an inspiration for future generations. The void created by his demise can never be filled. Growing up with Rana, he was like extended family for me. I pray his soul may rest in peace and my deepest condolences to his entire family.

Thammareddy Bharadwaj

Imagining that he is no more is a scary feeling. His life was all about cinema, no wonder he saw such success. He was like family to all of us and any happiness or sadness, he was ready to share. The industry will miss him.

Koti

Though he was unwell for a while, his death comes as a shock. He always treated me like a son and encouraged me a lot. I am glad I had the opportunity to compose for his movies.