Have you ever heard about Ramoji Rao? I believe almost everybody is familiar with his creations. Cherukuri Ramoji Rao was a media proprietor, film producer, and Indian businessman. The world’s largest Film Production facility, Ramoji Film City, is owned by him and is located in Abdullahpurmet, Hyderabad, India. This massive Film Studio Complex is built over approximately 1666 acres of land. For his immense contribution, Ramoji Film City has been recognized as the world’s largest film City by Guinness World Records. His unique style of filmmaking on a low budget and often on social themes earned him accolades. He belonged to the Kamma caste, mostly landowners in the fertile, irrigated Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh.
Ramoji Rao’s entrepreneurial journey began in Visakhapatnam.
The Eenadu newspaper, which remains the most widely circulated Telugu daily with many editions, was established by Ramoji Rao on August 10, 1974. He also founded ETV channel on August 27, 1995, which became one of the first satellite entertainment channels in Telugu, breaking the monopoly previously held by Doordarshan. Without a mention of Rao’s role and relevance, the political and social history of Andhra Pradesh in the last five decades cannot be complete. He was one of the most important forces behind the rise and growth of the Telugu Desam Party.
In 1962, he started Margadarshi chit funds when probably no one had an idea about it. Today, Margadarshi’s turnover is estimated at 10,000 crores. He scouted for business ideas with the support of his wife, Rama Devi, and the capital from Margadarshi.
He left the interface between business and politics. Speaking to Business Standard, he said, “The secret is to use capital wisely. The secret is to use capital wisely. You have to know how to squeeze every drop from it.”
A film production house launched by Ramoji Rao made a movie on the story of a local girl who was a classical dancer and lost a leg in an accident but continued dancing with an artificial leg. This film won many awards and managed to break box office records. He garnered four Filmfare Awards South, five Nandi awards, and the National Film Award for his works in Telugu cinema.
He was also honored with India’s second-highest civilian honor, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2016.
He faced several personal setbacks.
The loss of his wife was a shock. Both his sons, Kiran and Suman, predeceased him. Ramoji Rao, one of the great personalities, passed away after a brief illness while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Hyderabad on Saturday morning at the age of 87. We salute his contribution to the country, especially to the cinema world.
