Won three consecutive Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Telugu in the 1970s for Khaidi Baabayi (1974), Jeevana Jyothi (1975) and Soggadu (1976) - a record for a Telugu actor
A three-time winner of a Nandi Award for Best Actor
His last acting role was in Hello Guru (1996)
In his later years he quit acting and invested in real estate, which made him a fortune